ERITAGE
INNESOTA
Ann Merriman
©2017
Ann Merriman, Christopher Olson, and Maritime Heritage Minnesota
Jf\ c L E A N
'(Smto WATER
LAND &
LEGACY
AMENDMENT
Project Report
RAMALEY BOATS
WORLD FAMOUS CHROME FIBERCLAS
_J_
Designers and Builders
OF ALL KINDS OF
Pleasure Craft
Joseph Dingle Boat Works
1
Acknowledgments
Maritime Heritage Minnesota thanks (MHM) the People of Minnesota for their support of
the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant program, part of the Clean Water,
Land and Legacy Amendment; without the MHCH Grant MHM received to conduct this
work the project would not have gone forward. MHM thanks the Grants Office of the
Minnesota Historical Society for their efforts. The Minnesota Small Craft Project could
not have been completed without the support of the following: MHM Volunteer Kelly
Nehowig, Mike Worcester and Johanna Ellison (Cokato Museum), Dan Cagley
(Minnesota Historical Society), Bob Gasch and Judy Sutherland (West Hennepin
History Center), Scott McGinnis, Joan Mooney (Waseca County Historical Society), Don
Knauff, John Nordby (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources), Paul Petty, Karrie
Roeschlein (City of Wahkon), Gary Vogesser, and the Gale Library staff at the
Minnesota Historical Society. Lastly, MHM acknowledges the efforts of our Board
Members Steven R. Hack, Deb Handschin, and Chair Michael F. Kramer for their
continued support.
MHM Staff, Volunteers, Board of Trustees, and Mascots
A,ohaeo\o9te'
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CvSrU'ovh*
Volunteer Otoer
KetluNehoung
Volunt,
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Did***"
Stick
volunteer Diver
Josh Knutson
Trustee
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Ann
Masoots & Computing Cats
Peebles Gat &Rodney Oaf
©2017
Ann Merriman, Christopher Olson, and Maritime Heritage Minnesota
MHM IS A 501. (c). 3 NON-PROFIT CORPORATION DEDICATED TO THE DOCUMENTATION, CONSERVATION,
AND PRESERVATION OF MINNESOTA’S FINITE MARITIME CULTURAL RESOURCES
2
Introduction
Maritime Heritage Minnesota conducted the Minnesota Small Craft Project (MSC)
between February and April 2017. The purpose of the Minnesota Small Craft Project
was to document, 3D scan, and conduct historical research of 5 Minnesota-produced
small boats located in 3 museum collections. MHM chose watercraft constructed by the
Ramaley Boat Company of Wayzata, the Indian Post Trading Post Boat Company of
Vineland, Joseph Dingle Boat Works of St. Paul, Cokato Boat Works of Cokato, and
Herter’s, Inc. of Waseca.
Research Design and Methodology
Several Minnesota museums and historical societies have watercraft in their collections,
boats that were constructed in the state. Often the general public, scholars, and
students are unaware of the significance of small and seemingly mundane historic
vessels preserved in our museums and historical societies. While undertaking research
during the Minnesota Dugout Canoe Project, MHM took note of watercraft on exhibit
and in storage at several museums. Drawing upon nautical archaeological and historical
knowledge based on fieldwork and research, MHM chose 5 boats to investigate
because they were Minnesota-built, rare, and relatively unknown in the maritime history
of the state. MHM received permission of the holding institutions to 3D scan, measure,
draw, and photograph 5 boats: Ramaley’s Fisherman’s Friend Row Boat, Outboard
Motor Boats from the Indian Trading Post, Dingle, and Cokato Boat Works, and what
was thought to be a Hudson Bay Model boat from Herter’s. The 3D scanning process is
a new tool MHM has utilized since late 2016 to document smaller watercraft, beginning
with the Big Swan Dugout Canoe at the McLeod County Historical Society. Beyond the
actual scanning and documentation of the 5 boats during the MSC Project, another of
MHM’s goal was to determine the usefulness of the inexpensive scanning technology
chosen for the work, along with the quality of its output.
MiKKesofca.
rading Post Boat Works
oseph Dingle Boat Works
3
The Minnesota Small Craft Project
Fisherman’s Friend Row Boat
West Hennepin History Center, Long Lake, Hennepin County
History
MHM learned of the existence of Fisherman’s Friend small boats in the early 2000s
when the Minnesota Transportation Museum took custody of a 6-foot long example of
the type.1 Research conducted for Lake Minnetonka sonar survey and nautical
archaeological projects uncovered a Ramaley Boat Company of Wayzata brochure,
dated to about 1913. The Ramaley brochure included a Fisherman’s Friend row boat for
sale. John Eugene Ramaley was one of the most prolific boat builders on White Bear
Lake. As a young man, ‘Gene’ was put in charge of the sail and row boat fleet owned by
his father, John D. Ramaley, docked at Ramaley’s Pavilion. During his first years
working at the Pavilion, Gene acquired knowledge of boat construction - both powered
and unpowered - that led to his future career as a boat builder and captain. Gene and
his father began operating the steamer Manitoba in late May 1888 on White Bear Lake.
In 1891, with the experience gained from maintaining Manitoba and his father’s fleet of
recreational boats, Gene designed and built his first two yachts, Bird and Shadow. In
1895 Gene founded Ramaley Boat Company in a small barn, and then constructed a
much larger shop on the lake in Cottage Park in 1899. The elder Ramaley was one of
the boat company’s customers as well when Gene built a new launch for his father in
late May 1899. Gene also constructed and ran his own steamers White Bear and
Wildwood beginning in 1900 and 1901. By 1912 the business was called the Ramaley
Boat Building and Navigation Company. In that year, Ramaley purchased the Moore
Boat Works on Lake Minnetonka in Wayzata, reportedly for $20,000. Ramaley
continued operations on both White Bear Lake and Lake Minnetonka until 1925 when
the entire boat-building enterprise was shifted to Wayzata. In 1929, Walker Boat Works,
Wise Boat Works, and the Ramaley Boat Company combined to become the
Minnetonka Boat Works in Wayzata (Castle 1912, 964; Lake Breeze, 1888a-c;
McGinnis 2010, 302; Minnetonka Herald, 1954; St. Paul Daily Globe 1891a,d; Vadnais
2004, 102; Wayzata Reporter 1912; White Bear Life 1900, 1901a-b).
Left: Moore Boat Works in 1912, the same year the company was sold to Ramaley Boat Company (Sanborn
Map Company 1904, 711).
Right: 1919 Ramaley Boat Company advertisement (Hennepin County Herald 1919, digitized by MHM).
This small wreck was illegally raised from the bottom of Lake Minnetonka’s Wayzata Bay sometime prior to 2000.
4
Fisherman’s Friend Row Boat
MHM documented the Fisherman’s Friend Row Boat (FFRB) housed at the West
Hennepin History Center (WHHC) on February 20, 2017. The FFRB derives its name
from the model of small row boat produced by the Ramaley Boat Company in 1913 or
later at its Wayzata location on Lake Minnetonka. The FFRB’s wooden hull is 13.75 feet
long, 4.00 feet in the beam, with a 12-inch depth of hold. The boat’s flat bottom is
athwartships planked - a diagnostic attribute for the Fisherman's Friend design. Both
the port and starboard sides consist of one wide strake - a plank - along with a thinner
gunwale plank with an attached rubrail. The boat’s side planks are joined end to end,
making it carvel-built. The stem consists of a rounded stempost attached to the keel
with a triangular sampson post attached to the inner surface that extends vertically
above the gunwale. The sampson post has a hole bored through it that served as a
towing ring and possibly has an attachment point for a forestay. Forward, the keel is a
single flat, narrow beam while at the stern, it is a two-piece beam that extends
significantly below the boat’s bottom forming a skeg. The square transom, like the
boat’s sides, is comprised of one wide strake topped with a narrower gunwale plank
whose ends are angled downward to meet the port and starboard gunwale and rubrail.
An unpainted vertical section on the transom marks the former location of the missing
stempost. The FFRB has three bench seats, held up by short braces attached to the
inner hull; the stern seat is missing along with the port side brace. A set of oarlock holes
were bored vertically into the gunwale just aft of the amidships bench and two metal
straps attached to the boat’s floor planks are remnants of the rower’s foot braces. It is
unknown if the braces consisted of individual pads or a metal or wood bar that would
slide under the straps. The FFRB is held together entirely with nails, not screws.
The Fisherman’s Friend (MHM).
5
The Fisherman’s Friend in the Ramaley Boat Company's brochure around 1913 ( Ramaley Boat
Company- 1913, digitized by MHM).
Ramaley Fisherman’s Friend Row Boats were advertised to be 14.00 feet long, 46.00
inches in the beam (3.83 feet), and a 14-inch depth of hold, although a 16.00 model was
offered as well (Ramaley Boat Company~1913). MHM contends the nearly identical
measurements of the FFRB depicted in Ramaley’s brochure - and the habit of rounding
up numbers in catalogs and brochures - clearly suggests the boat housed at the WHHC
was constructed by the Ramaley Boat Company in Wayzata after 1913. In addition to
the FFRB in the collection of the WHHC, two Fisherman’s Friend wrecks have been
identified on the bottom of Lake Minnetonka. The Fisherman's Friend Wreck 1 (21 -HE-
485) is 12.80 feet long, 2.80 feet wide, with a 1.40-foot depth of hold. The wreck is
capsized and lying with its flat athwartships-planked bottom exposed; the wreck has no
surviving keel plank. The bow is sharply pointed and the stern has a square transom
design. The wreck is constructed of three strakes on each side with a rubrail attached to
the top-most strake on port, starboard, and the square transom as well. The
Fisherman's Friend Wreck 2 (21-HE-489) is 15.00 feet long, 3.20 feet wide, with a
12.00-inch depth of hold at the stern. The wreck's bow would have been pointed, but
6
only the stempost with two hull plank fragments attached to it survive, but are detached
from the wreck. The hull is carvel-built, it has a square stern, and a flat athwartships-
planked bottom that is a diagnostic attribute for the Fisherman's Friend design. Although
the wreck is profusely covered in zebra mussels, a small section of exposed hull
indicates it is painted white. A large rock sits in the wreck at the stern, indicating the
wreck was likely scuttled (Merriman and Olson 2015, 7-10, 2016, 6-8).
Above: Ole Backlund painting his
Fisherman’s Friend on Lake
Minnetonka prior to Spring launch in
May 1937 (MNHS Qv1.2r8, digitized
by MHM).
Left: A sketch of the Fisherman’s
Friend Wreck 2 (21-HE-489,
Christopher Olson) and the capsized
Fisherman’s Friend Wreck 1 (21 -HE-
485, Mark Slick).
Using a Fisherman’s Friend guarantees great results during your fishing excursion, if you can get them
in the boat (Left: 1918 Postcard; Right: Postcard, Courtesy of Bob Gasch).
7
The two Fisherman’s Friend Wrecks and the Ramaley-advertised version of the vessel,
while not identical to the FFRB, are the same design. The FFRB lacks diagnostic
attributes that are defined by a calendar date, such as the presence of slot-head or
Phillips head woodscrews. The boat is held together entirely by nails and in some
places, abundant numbers of them. MHM suggests a FFRB construction date of the
1920s. The Fisherman’s Friend Row Boat’s condition is dependent on a stable
environment with an appropriate relative humidity level near 65%. The vessel has
begun to warp, but this will cease - but not be reversed - if it is allowed to rest on a
stable flat base, with support along the bottom on either side of the keel.
8
Examples of Ramaley Boat Company Vessels
(See McGinnins 2010 for information on many Ramaley boats on Lake Minnetonka).
ramaley row BOATS
* Imt Wwta), *n<i,our^lve studied the requirement* of careful t
I "r position to build It ^ ^ money and stall, &
RAMALEY
WAYZATA. MINN.
MINNETONKA STOCK MODEL
special hshing
COMMNAJS?.
bear, MODEL 36
HUNTING AND FISHING BOATS
Y DE LUXE ROW BOAT
■S&F
-1913 Ramaley Boat Company
Brochure (MNHS, digitized by MHM)
White Bear Model 36 is remarkably
similar to the Joseph Dingle Boat Works
Outboard Motor Boat (see page 21).
"J RAMALEY DETACHABLE STOCK MOTOR ROW BOATS
The Ramaley Family Motor Boat (Ramaley Boat Company 1911) and the Ramaley Family Motor Boat
Wreck (21-HE-490) in Lake Minnetonka.
■
9
Indian Trading Post Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat (1996.250.1)
Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Ramsey County
History
MHM first learned of the Indian Trading Post Boat Works (ITPBW) on Lake Mille Lacs
when visiting the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) warehouse in January 2014.2
The ITPBW, established in May 1929, was a subsidiary of the Mille Lacs Trading Post
owned by Harry and Jeannette Ayer. It was reported that the “Indian Trading Post has a
new boat factory, having purchased the Lucus boat works in Wahkon”. The ITPBW was
located on the grounds of the Mille Lacs Indian Trading Post; apparently Ayer
purchased the Lucus firm’s equipment and re-located it to Vineland. By the end of May
1929, boatbuilding was in full swing and the company advertised in a local paper and
invited readers to “visit our new factory, and see them under construction”. The
enterprise employed only Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and within a few years of
its founding, the ITPBW was touted as a success in the region. This enterprise
employed 18 men to construct and operate boats for the Post’s tourist fishing
excursions, and for sale to the general public (Brainerd Daily Dispatch 1929, 1933; Mille
Lacs Messenger 1929; MNHS Finding Aid, ND).
An aerial view of the Indian Trading
Post Boat Works on Lake Mille Lacs
(John R. Borchert Map Library, 17
September 1939).
. ■ ■■
■
f
:• Y». M- i
i* f 'c. h.
znnz
Right: Ayer
promoted the
Indian Trading
Post Boat Works
in the local
paper (Mille
Lacs Messenger
1929).
Indian Trading Post
BOATS
■ T ;[ - • ■ v . • !/ •
Built from quality material for years of service.
Designed for safety and seaworthiness, ease in
4 handling, sturdiness, style and comfort.
Available in various sizes and models for outboard
motors, livery, pleasure or family iise.
Visit our new factory,- and see them under con-
struction.
Mille Lacs Indian Trading Post
. | Highway No. 18
Postoffice — Onamia, Minn.
2MHM was at the MNHS to document and take a wood sample from a dugout canoe for the Minnesota Dugout Canoe Project.
10
Z*«44
Richard Skinaway
Jim Hanks, Sr
The employees of the Indian
Trading Post Boat Works
constructing wooden boats in their
fully equipped workshop in March
1931 (MNHS HE5.4p56,
HE5.4p16 HE5.4p17, HE5.4p13,
HE5.4p22, HE5.4p14, digitized by
MHM).
Jim Hanks, Sr, Joe Eagle, Unknown
Jim Hanks, Sr
Mr. Fairbanks
11
In November 1991, former Trading Post employees Fred B. Benjamin, Letitia B.
Caldwell, Maude Kegg, Sally Mitchell, and Batiste Sam remembered people and
activities associated with the Boat Works in the late 1920s-late 1930s in oral interviews.
The boat factory itself was “a big barn-like building with high front steps”. “All the
boatmaking equipment was there. ..They just worked on the ground floor.. .then probably
boats were stored above. ..The boat factory wasn’t in operation during the winter.. .Mr.
Blythe at one time was the overseer... Then Mr. Fairbanks was sort of a straw boss”.
The boats constructed in the factory were described as “all strip-bottom boats. That I
remember from the advertising. ..some were rowboats, and some were
motorboats... they had a few twelve, not many - but fourteen, sixteen, eighteen and a
few twenties. Mostly I guess the twenties came by order, but the popular sizes were
fourteen and sixteen. ..Mr. Ayer kept fifty-six [boats]. ..for the resort use. Well, with
twenty-six cabins and fifty-six fishing boats, we were so crammed every May
12
fifteenth... [for] the walleye fishing season” (Caldwell 1991, 37, 42-43; Mitchell 1991, 42-
43).
Tourist fishermen at the Indian Trading Post Boat Works dock, utilizig Post boats for fishing excursions
(MNHS GV3.33r63, digitized by MHM).
The interviewees recalled the names of several Ojibwe boat builders over the years:
Joe Eagle, Sam Mitchell, Gene Mitchell, Jim Mitchell, Jim Hanks, Sr., Jim Hanks, Jr.,
Dick Skinaway, and Dick Garbow/Gahbow. Further, it was revealed that some of the
builders also served as fishing guides and pilots. Fred Benjamin remembered “They had
a great big dock too. That’s where all the boats [were] used. All those Indians used to
go do the pilot on the motors and take tourists to the better fishing.... I didn’t see any
non-Indian driving a motor. They never had no accident. Every time there’s a storm,
Indians know exactly when the storm’s gonna go. They didn’t want to go. They didn’t
want to take anybody out”. Maude Kegg stated “The Indian guys were making the
boats, and there used to be a guide here... four-five-six-seven of them. They - those
guys would take them [the tourists] to wherever they could fish. They’d know the reefs
and where the fish bites, I suppose, so they had guides like that”. More than one
interviewee remembered the ‘trading post fleet’ comprised of tourists in rented fishing
boats and a towboat, operated by a guide or pilot: “He [Ayers] had a whole fleet when I
was here...there’d be a motor on one and a pilot and tow line for all the others. Maybe
they’d take out eight or ten boats on one tow line”. “I know my dad used to work there.
He used to take the fishermen way down to the point with a motor boat. He hooked the
boats with the fisherman in and then takes them over to the point... he was a guide for
the fishermens. ...[his name was] Dick...Gahbow” (Benjamin 1991, 6; Kegg 1991, 15;
Mitchell 1 991 , 39, 43; Sam 1 991 , 3, 42 44).
13
Lloyd Blithe,
Unknown, Jim
Hanks, Sr, Mr.
Fairbanks, Joe
Eagle, Richard
Garbow/Gahbow,
Leticia (Daly)
Caldwell in truck
(MNHS HE5.4p1 1 ,
digitized by MHM)
Jim Hanks, Jr,
Richard Skinaway,
Jim Hanks, Sr,
Jim Mitchell
(MNHS HE5.4p20,
digitized by MHM)
Leticia (Daly) Caldwell and the crew (MNHS HE5.4r21, digitized by MHM).
14
Letitia Caldwell supplied a colorful description of the ‘fleet’: “They’d hook one boat
behind the other, and this long train of boats. They’d hook one boat behind the other,
and this long train of boats would be going out around the point from the bay. Old
Moqua would take out sixteen-twenty boats at a time. ..[a] long string chugging along
behind the one motor boat that they used. Old Moqua would be taking them out there,
and he’d take them way around the point, out of sight of the store. In the evening he’d
go back and get them. They just had to stay out there all day, unless they wanted to row
back. I can still see those trains of boats, like a bunch of little ducks” (Caldwell 1991,
38).
Sally Mitchell described one strong Lake Mille Lacs wind storm and its affect on the
Trading Post Fleet’ and boaters: “My brother was working down at Lakeside Inn. It was
very very windy - a terrific windstorm. They had taken boats out from down there, and
our boats had gone out from here [the Trading Post], Ours had come back in. My
15
brother was in one of the boats from down at Lakeside Inn, and his boat broke loose.
He was in the last boat. It had broken loose from the line of them. He had not an oar, a
paddle or anything in the boat, and he was just set adrift. From the gentleman who had
the lead boat with the motor on it tried to turn, but the other boat was moving faster than
he could get back to it. Se he went on in and told them that there was a boat adrift with
a man in it. They called up here. There was one of the Indian boys, Johnny Door, was
here. He said he’d take a boat out. He took a boat out from here and went out and got
my brother’s boat and towed it in. My brother was sick for the rest of the day, really
honestly seasick. That was quite a rescue” (Mitchell 1991 , 53).
Ayer stored the fishing boats on site during the winter. Apparently the factory ceased
producing boats in 1939 and the building was torn down sometime around 1940. Fred
Benjamin believed the main reason for the demise of the boat works was ’’The man that
did a lot of boat work.. .he passed away. So it kind of got [shut] down. ..That was Hanks,
Jim Hanks”. It was believed that no examples of watercraft produced by the Indian
Trading Post Boat Works craftsmen survived, that they simply rotted away or were
burned to dispose of them. However, MNHS records stipulate that Ayer sold the boat
works to the US Department of the Interior in 1939; whether the factory continued to
produce watercraft or was torn down at that time is unknown. In the end, the Indian
Trading Post Boat Works reportedly constructed 200 boats from 1929-1939 - (Benjamin
1991, 4, 6; MNHS Timeline ; Waymarking 2013) with only one confirmed example
surviving.3
Indian Trading Post Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat
MHM documented the ITPBW Outboard Motor Boat (IOMB) on February 8 and 17 and
March 1, 8, and 10, 2017 at the MNHS warehouse. The lOMB’s wooden hull is 17.25
feet long, 3.75 feet in the beam, with a 21.00-inch depth of hold. The stem consists of a
triangular outer stempost that is curved and attached to the keel. Large bolts driven
through the outer stempost attach it to the inner stempost (not seen). A U-shaped metal
bracket attached to the outer hull goes through the strakes and the inner stempost; it
holds a tow ring. At the stern, the keel protrudes from the hull bottom and is rectangular
in cross-section. The gunwale of the IOMB is intact, although it is damaged from age
and lack of maintenance. The lack of a caprail exposes the futtocks between the beams
that comprise the gunwale. A thin rubrail is complete and attached to the port and
starboard gunwales along the entire length of the boat, attached with slot-head screws.
Further, on the port side of the boat 10.33 feet from the bow, a hull break extends from
the gunwale to the turn of the bilge. Along the bilge turn, the strakes have separated
and the aft portion of the hull angles inward and the forward portion of the hull angles
outward. The hull consists of thin wooden strip strakes joined end to end, making it
carvel-built. The substantial cambered foredeck is constructed of slightly wider strip
planks than those that comprised the hull’s sides and bottom.4 The aft edge of the
foredeck is shaped by coaming that extends down each side of the boat. The square
transom, designed to take an outboard motor, is comprised of 2 wide 1 .75-inch thick
planks attached to the gunwale with slot-head wood screws.
3Ojibwe artist Terry Kemper informed MHM that another ITPBW vessel may survive in Florida; MHM hopes this is the case
(personal communication, 24 February 2017).
4A damaged area on the foredeck suggests the boat may have had a navigation light that is now missing. MHM contends the
wood was damaged by an object sitting on the deck for many years in uncontrolled conditions, not by fittings.
16
The 10MB has a wide flat bottom, a design necessary for stability and safety on Lake
Mille Lacs. The aft section of the boat has clear tumblehome, where the hull narrows
noticeably from the waterline to the gunwale. Inside the hull at the transom, a centerline
knee - attached to the exposed keel (the boat does not have a keelson) and the
transom with substantial bolts - adds a significant support to the stern to accommodate
the outboard motor. Two horizontal knees on the port and starboard quarters at
gunwale level also add stability and strength; vertical beams attached flush to the
transom support these knees. The IOMB has thin frames attached to the inner hull,
providing rigidity to the vessel. With the exception of the 3 aft-most frames that are
interrupted by the stern knee, each frame is one long thin piece of wood that has been
curved into a wide U shape, attached to the hull using short nails. Further, on top of
every second floor (with the exception of the first 2 at the stern), a rider beam was
attached to provide support for a deck. Triangular wedges removed from the bottom
edge of the riders served as limber holes, designed to channel bilge water to the stern
for later draining. Longitudinal stringers attached to the futtocks on both sides extend
from the stern quarters to under the foredeck, stopping at 2 riders attached to futtocks.
Attached to the aft face of the futtock riders, an athwartships brace extends from port to
starboard; 2 thin stanchions connected to the brace serve as supports for the foredeck.
With the exception of the construction details previously described as attached by bolts
or slot-head screws, the vessel is held together with small nails. At the bow, a double
row of nails attach the strakes to the stempost and at the stern, double rows of nails
attach the strakes to the edge of the transom. Little paint survives on the outer hull, but
traces of white primer are extant, as well as mustard yellow and dark green paint. The
17
green paint primarily appears at the bow and transom under the waterline; the yellow
paint is found higher on the bow and transom up the tumblehome, and on the hull’s
sides.
Historic early-1930s photographs of finished products of the Indian Trading Post Boat
Works indicate slight design differences when compared to the IOMB, some of them
apparently related to the vessel’s size. Images of rowboats, lighter vessels with less
freeboard, have bench seats incorporated into their construction. There are no
indications of benches or other seating evident in the IOMB, nor is there evidence of a
deck that would have rested on the floor riders. However, for the IOMB to function as a
guide and towboat for the Mille Lacs Indian Trading Post tourist fishing enterprise, a
personal watercraft, or as a US Forestry Service vessel, it must have had benches or
seats of an undetermined design. Further, the steering mechanism has not survived in
the IOMB, and no pictorial evidence of the gear has been located. Outboard motors in
the 1930s were primarily directly steered using attached tillers. However, remote
steering using cables and a steering wheel was possible, but the system cannot be
determined with the surviving evidence. Images of ITPBW vessels that appear to be
similar in size and design to the IOMB differ in superficial details, such as the presence
of aft splashrails that were never incorporated into the construction of the IOMB.
Further, the IOMB coaming and accompanying caprail may have extended around the
entirety of the vessel’s cockpit when it was constructed, but did not survive, thus making
the futtock ends visible at the gunwale. A wreck similar to the IOMB has been identified
on the bottom of Lake Minnetonka. The Wooden Outboard Utility Wreck (21-HE-491) is
14.00 feet long, 3.90 feet in the beam, and 3.60 feet at the square stern with a slightly
cambered foredeck. The differences between the IOMB and 21-HE-491 - beyond their
sizes - are the athwartships planking of the foredeck, the wide caprail from the bow to
the stern on both sides boat, and splashrails that extend along the entirety of the outer
hull from bow to stern on port and starboard (Merriman and Olson 2016, 15-17).
18
The Wooden
Outboard Utility
Wreck (21-HE-491)
on the bottom of
Lake Minnetonka
(Kelly Nehowig).
19
(MNHS HE5.4p54, HE5.4p59, HE5.4r15, HE5.4M4, digitized by MHM)
The Indian Trading Post Outboard Motor Boat is in stable condition and its continued
health is dependent on a stable environment with an appropriate humidity level. The
obvious checking along the boat’s rubrail and gunwale is a clear indicator of
inappropriate storage for decades in the past. The port side hull damage, while
appearing rather drastic, is not currently having an adverse affect on the boat; no stress
is being applied to the area, nor is the boat’s own weight affecting stability at that point.
On the whole, the vessel as it is currently stored with support to the bottom of the hull, is
sufficient to sustain the watercraft’s current condition.
MHM’s 3D scans of the Indian
Trading Post Boat Works Outboard
Motor Boat. The scanning process
included several scans saved as
separate files. Because of the
vagaries in lighting, the color
version of the scanned images
appears like a patchwork (left).
20
21
Joseph Dingle Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat (2004.82. 1.A-F)
Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Ramsey County
History
MHM first learned of the Joseph Dingle Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat (DOMB) when
visiting the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) warehouse in January 2014.5 Joseph
Dingle founded the Joseph Dingle Boat Works in 1880. However, Dingle was already
“quite well known as a boat builder, and has built row and sail boats for most of the lake
resorts of Minnesota. One of his recent orders was for a row boat for Hon. C. F.
McDonald, of St. Cloud” by March of that year. A large 1879 advertisement supports the
contention that Dingle was a boat-builder prior to the recognized establishment of the
firm in 1880: Dingle manufactured “pleasure boats, sail yachts, hunting boats and
catamarans. Oars and boat fixtures always on hand. Repairing neatly and promptly
done”. The Boat Works was located at 421 Clinton Avenue. The Dingle family resided at
121 Isabel Street East - and conducted company paperwork in the home - just to the
south of the workshop in West St. Paul. Today that intersection is in St. Paul proper.
The house was situated on the eastern portions of lots 6 and 7 in section 37 and the
Boat Works occupied the eastern portion of lot 8 on Clinton Avenue. St. Paul Fire
Station No. 6 (1884-1965) was also located in section 37 next to the Boat Works, with
an address of 126 Delos Street East (Legeros 2013; Polk and Weeks 1879, xvi, 167,
498; Sanborn Map Company 1904, 619; St. Paul Daily Globe 1880, 1885a-b).
The location of the Joseph Dingle Boat Works on Clinton Avenue between Isabel and Delos Streets
(Sanborn Map Company 1904, 620) and an early company advertisement (Polk and Weeks 1879, xvi).
5MHM was at the MNHS to document and take a wood sample from a dugout canoe for the Minnesota Dugout Canoe Project.
22
Insight into the workings of the Joseph Dingle Boat Works is found in several historical
sources during the late 19th into the first half of the 20th Century. In 1895, the ‘family
business’ nature of the factory is evident since Joseph, along with two of his sons Albert
and Fred, were engaged in boat building for the company. In 1904, the Dingle factory
advertised to hire “Boat Carpenters at Once; first-class wages” to assist the family of
boatwrights. In 1905, Joseph and sons Albert, Fred, John, and Harry worked in the
factory while son John worked as the Boat Works’ clerk. Further, in 1914, six of Dingle’s
sons worked for the firm: Charles (foreman), Fred (manager), Harry (builder), John
(salesman), Richard (builder), and Roy (builder).6 Additionally, Otto H. Halbe built boats
for Dingle that year. Also in 1914, Fred - “better known as Dingle Dongle Dingle” in the
“Men We All Know” column of Power Boating magazine - represented the Boat Works
during an inspection of the Loew-Victor Engine Company in Chicago. By 1920, another
aspect of the Joseph Dingle Boat Works business was its qualification as the only
Evinrude detachable motor service station in Minnesota; with the early popularity of
small Evinrude outboard motors, this service was valuable to small boat owners in the
state. Also in 1920, Fred Dingle’s attendance at New York’s 16th Motor Boat Show as
part of the St. Paul Motor Boat Club’s delegation was noted, as the group perused new
offerings for the next boating season. The reputation and influence of the Boat Works
and the Dingle Family boatwrights was evident when the Sterling Engine Company
associated the company with significant North American building firms in a 1923 ad,
among them: Herreshoff Boat Works of Bristol, Rl, George Lawley and Son of Boston,
Albany Boat Corporation of Waterliet, NY, Red Bank Yacht Works, Red Bank, NJ, and
Ditchburn Boats, Muskoka, Ontario (Judson, Jr. 1920, 20; Minneapolis Journal 1904a;
Minnesota, Ramsey County 1895, 268, 1905, Sheet 32; Motor Boat 1920, 42; Motor
Boating 1923, 133; Polk 1914, 542, 750; Power Boating 1914, 82).
Throughout the 1880s, Joseph Dingle and his company’s daily operation and
accomplishments are chronicled through historical documents. In late April 1881,
“Amphibious Globe Reporters” told the story of a Mississippi River flood and with it, high
winds that threatened the city. It was reported “Yesterday morning the chief of police
took possession of half a dozen boats belonging to Joseph Dingle, and placed them at
the disposal of the police patrol. They proved to be of great service during the day.” The
City of St. Paul reimbursed the Boat Works $280.00 (Order 12317) for using the boats
in what was termed “6th Ward Relief. On White Bear Lake, “Mr. Dingle’s boats are well
managed and the fishing on the Mahtomedi side, on account of the depth of water, is
the best in the lake” (City Comptroller 1886; St. Paul Daily Globe 1881, 1883). These
insights into Joseph Dingle’s business - apparently he kept an inventory of boats in St.
Paul and on White Bear Lake (for rental) in the early 1880s - were previously unknown
and add an interesting facet into the workings of Dingle’s company.
In mid-March 1884, the workshop was described as “a one and a half story frame
building, owned and occupied by Jos. Dingle, as a place where he made boats”. A
portion of the Boat Works building and “some fine lumber, suitable for boats, was
partially destroyed” in a fire. The insured monetary loss was $250, with Dingle’s
assurances that “he will go right on with his business of boat building the same as
though no fire had occurred, that all his orders will be promptly filled, and all new
^Joseph and Elizabeth Dingle had 15 children, three of whom died before age 3, three of whom died aged 21-26, and one who
died at age 36; outlived by both their parents (Ancestry.com).
23
business will have prompt attention”. The St. Paul Fire Commissioner’s report stated
that “children playing with stove” caused the fire. MHM suggests the damage was
minimal due to the proximity of Engine Company No. 6 next door to the Boat Works.
The fire damage may have prompted Dingle to make construction alterations to the
Boat Works building at a cost of $500 by the end of 1884 In 1888, Dingle participated in
the 3rd annual St. Paul Winter Carnival, where “a beautiful sailing yacht, with canvas
spread, bore the name of J. Dingle, the boat builder” in the Industrial Parade. In June
1893, the Boat Works participated in another parade that showcased St. Paul
businesses, comprised of manufacturers, jobbers, and retailers divisions. The 3-day
celebration centered on honoring J.J. Hill to commemorate the completion of the
transcontinental Great Northern Railway line to Washington (St. Paul Daily Globe
1884a,c, 1885a, 1888a, 1893b).
Inside the Joseph Dingle Boat Works factory. The date applied to the image is 1920. However, it may
be the interior of the airport facility at a later date (MNHS HE5.4p1 , digitized by MHM).
Joseph Dingle’s influence on sailboat design, construction, and racing on White Bear
Lake in the 1880s to after 1900 is evidenced by the number of boats - found in the
historical record - built by the firm during this period. Among them are: Catamaran
(1884, owned by Dingle), Manitou (1889), Nushka (1889), Merry Monarch (1891),
Albatross (1892), Galatea (1892), Secret (1892), Sinbad (1892), WhaleA/alkyrie (1892),
Columbia (1893, owned by Dingle), Nancy Ruth (<1 893), Britannia (1894), Katie D
(1894), Banshee (1895), Esmeralda (1895), Petrel (1895), and Gamma (1904). These
boats were primarily connected with members of the White Bear Yacht Club. On Lake
Minnetonka, Joseph Dingle Boat Works sailboats Gusty Glider (1889) and Elizabeth
(1890) were constructed for the same costumer.7 The designs of successive Dingle
sloops were surpassing each other during White Bear regattas. Regarding Columbia, it
was reported “Joseph Dingle has put a new sloop on the lake. It is built on somewhat
7See the chart on pages 36-49 for specifics on the individual Dingle Boats.
24
different lines from any of the other yachts. ..is riding at Ramaley’s mooring. She is built
with a sharply rising bow and a great forward over-hang. The builder’s idea seems to be
to have her go over the water rather than through it.” Sometimes Joseph was part of
Columbia’s crew under Captain Gene Ramaley. When Dingle’s newly-launched sloop
Katie D beat his older Nushka and Columbia by over 5 minutes, “Dingle kissed and
hugged the jib with joy when she came in” (St. Paul Daily Globe 1893d,e, 1894e).
By later summer 1895, Joseph Dingle was characterized as one of the “old and well-
known boat builders” in Twin Cities yacht racing circles. In the new century, the Boat
Works took contracts from the City of St. Paul’s Park Board and Board of Water
Commissioners, and Ramsey County, to build boats and supply gear such as oars and
oar locks. In July 1900, the Boat Works furnished 5 cedar-planked row boats with
oarlocks to the Park Board for $168.75 - $33.75 for each boat through the Board of
Park Commissioners (Warrant 2851). Another order, delivered in early June 1901, was
comprised of 40 Dingle cedar planked rowboats at a price of $28 per vessel ($1,120.00,
Warrant 2940). MHM suggests the decreased price per boat might reflect the lack of
metal oarlocks in the big order - or a bulk order discount. These 45 boats replaced 30
‘old’ row boats, mostly built in 1894, deemed “unfit for further service” at 7 years of age.
Further, Dingle submitted two estimates “for building, equipping and furnishing an
electric launch [Warrant 2879] for Lake Como” (City of St. Paul 1902, 432-433, 436,
898-899, 902; St. Paul Daily Globe 1895c; St. Paul Globe 1900a-b). The firm delivered
the electric vessel in the summer 1900 for $1,000, with payment deferred until 1901. 8
In the early morning of April 27, 1902, the Joseph Dingle Boat Works was substantially
damaged by fire. St. Paul Fire Station 6, next door to the boat factory, responded
quickly - as the firefighters had done in 1884. The factory was described as a “three-
story building. The lower floor, known as the boat repository, was well filled with
launches and small row boats. These, with one or two exceptions, were protected by
the salvage corps. A launch belonging to F. B. Doran was among the boats saved. ..The
entire loss is estimated at $3,000 and is covered by insurance. The loss to the building
is placed at $1,000. Another $1,000 will cover the cedar lumber destroyed and a third
$1,000 is the figure placed on the damaged boats. The origin of the fire is unknown”.
Frank B. Doran was the former mayor of St. Paul, and other large launches were also
saved from the fire, including Grace (ordered by George Gillette of the Gillette-Herzog
Manufacturing Company for Lake Minnetonka), Absaraka (ordered by Peter Lees of the
American Bridge Company), and a boat associated with the Norberg Brewing Company.
Remarkably, the Moore Boat Works in Wayzata experienced a large loss due to fire in
mid-February 1902, just over 2 months before the Dingle fire9 (McGinnis 2010, 96;
Minneapolis Journal 1902d; Minneapolis Tribune 1902a; St. Paul Globe 1902).
MHM contends the Dingle factory did not recover quickly enough from the fire to fulfill
small boat construction orders for the City of St. Paul in 1902, but the Boat Works
8lt is noteworthy that the Lake Como electric launch constructed by the Joseph Dingle Boat Works carried 4,289 people around
the lake during the 1901 season, May 1 -October 1, charging 10 cents per person (Board of Park Commissioners 1902, 25; St. Paul
Globe 1900a).
9Moore Boat Works lost 80 row boats, most of them on order for the Twin City Rapid Transit Company, and a large warehouse
- valued at $7,000. However, the company’s other buildings - and private houses - did not burn, and 4 large launches were saved
from damage including Tanager and Widgeon, and 10 row boats and sailboats were saved (McGinnis 2010, 240, 270; Minneapolis
Journal 1902a).
25
completed large launches - Grace (1902) and Absaraka (1902)10 - and returned to
capacity in 1903. As part of the recovery, the Boat Works began construction of fast
racing auto boats, several vessels that won contests on Lake Minnetonka, in Duluth,
and other places. These watercraft include Buster Boy (1904), Bisbee (1905), Janes
Power Boat (1905), Westman (1905), White (1905), North Butte (1906), Globe
Consolidated (1907), Fritz (1908), Dick Six (1909), Dingle-Capitol (1909), Jeannette
(1909), Pine Cone (1909), Sea Breeze (1909), Finola (<1 91 0), Panama (1915), Dolly
Dingle (1916), Ace (1920), Hortense (-1920), and Northwind (-1920). These fast boats
were long and heavy, upwards of 40.00+ feet, with large and powerful engines.* 11
One maritime historical link between Fred Dingle and Gar Wood - famed boat racing
pioneer, boat builder and designer, inventor, and businessman - is linked to the
construction of fast auto boats. Wood grew up in northern Minnesota, including Duluth
from ages 10-28. Gar became involved with boats and boating and worked for Richard
Schell, owner of many Dingle boats including Bisbee, North Butte, Globe Consolidated,
Fritz, Dick Six, and Dingle-Capitol. In a 1935 interview, Wood described his discovery of
fast Dingle boats and his pursuit of a friendship with Fred Dingle after Wood moved to
St. Paul. In 1905 during trials of Schell’s Bisbee on Lake Minnetonka, Dingle, Wood,
Schell, and pilot Mattson of Globe Iron Works were pictured in the boat - a rare image
of 3 significant figures in Minnesota maritime and boat-building history (Desmond 2004,
2; Fishman 1989, 41; Minneapolis Journal 1905b).
ON BOAED THE BISBEE.
Those in the Boat Are Richard Scholl, the Owner;
Max Matteion, Who Held the Wheel; Wood
of Duluth, Who Ran tho Engine; Dingle, Who
Built the Hull.
Designers and Builders
OF Ml KINDS OF
Pleasure Craft
IJ<
iseph Dingle Boat Wort
IS
ESTABLISHED I8B0
421 Clinton Avenue
SI. Paul, Minn.
T
Up-lo-Date Runabouts a Specialty
Left: Fred Dingle, GarWood, Richard Schell, and Mattson on Lake Minnetonka in Bisbee ( Minneapolis
Journal 1905b).
Right: Brochure, roughly 1920 (Joseph Dingle Boat Works, MHM Collection, digitized by MHM).
10See the chart on pages 36-49 for specifics on the individual Dingle Boats.
11 Ibid.
26
The Joseph Dingle Boat Works continued to provide boats and boat gear to the Park
Board in 1903 and over the next 25 years, including a row boat with oars (Order 13681 ,
July 9, 1903, $33.50); oar locks (Order 3602, December 1, 1903, $2.50); launch
steering wheel (Voucher 15062, June 1905, $4.50); boat (Voucher 15694, May 1906,
$35.00); 50 row boats (Order 4208, June 1906, $1,400); 50 row boats (Order 4526, May
1907, $1,400); boat fittings (Voucher 16931, November 1907, $5.25); oar locks (Order
4777, July 17, 1907, $2.40); 50 row boats (Order 5169, June 7, 1909, $1,400.00); row
boats and launch cover (Voucher 1478, September 1909, $86.10); 30 row boats (Order
5548, June 1910, $840.00); and 50 wooden row boats (Order 6045, July 3, 1911,
$1,400). In 1915, the Water Department Fund spent $99.75 and the Parks Department
spent $49.50 on unknown goods or services from Dingle, and Ramsey County
purchased oars (Order 365731, $7.50) and a pulley and cleat (Order 366939, $3.20)
from Dingle in 1928 (Board of Park Commissioners 1905, 66, 1907, 61, 1908, 65, 1909,
44, 1910, 1911, 78-79, 1912, 14, 37, 43; Board of Water Commissioners 1906, 39,
1907, 39, 1908, 49 1910, 48; City Comptroller 1904, 250; City of St. Paul 1915, 967,
1027; Ramsey County 1928, 41, 92).
w« c*rry in 8tocv a f*1" r:
row Boats. Hunting Boats. Oars and Boat
Supplies
Our Family Ro* BoU is conceded to
be one o, the safe* and easiest rowmg
boats built.
buying a "Oingl." B“l our
Comers have the benefit of years e»-
perience.
Before purchasing a Motor Boat or
Row Boat, give us a chance to figure with
you.
ROW BOATS, HUNTING BOATS AND CANOES
Get Our
prices and Specifications
Estimates gladly furnished on all kinds
of boat work.
Brochure pages
(Joseph Dingle Boat
Works, MHM
Collection, digitized
by MHM).
Dingle Advertisement
(St. Paul Daily Globe
1888b).
AI1 Kinds of p' ~
**»*i<ll Av ,
***Mr»ii .
154 FOOT BOAT, $25!
JOSEPH DIN6LE, - BOAT BUILDER,
Ccr. Isabel and Clinton. West St. Paul,
One block from street cars.
f ,., . ‘
" ;to f
n°r>-
f.
nnh«‘ „r .
W*h«*Po»"
hstaJi
wh^^Z^^fmotor
Pr‘ce8 0f d
fo matery , ^ ^ >n Pri„
fin/sb. a s used i „ *• accord.
consfruciion ^
27
A group of Dingle boats constructed for the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for
the Rock Island, IL District - later the St. Paul District - are 35-foot long screw launches
and are found in government records. These vessels include Hiawatha (1912),
Minnehaha (1912), Quincy (1912), Chippewa (1913), Galena (1913), Minneiska (1913),
Trimbelle (1913), and Zumbro (1913). The Nodin (1915), Chippewa (1935), and St.
Croix (1935) were slightly smaller than the earlier launches. These launches were
designed to carry soft Kenyon tops, often made of leather, on metal frames that could
be raised or lowered; the modern equivalent is a bimini top. Moving on from the early
auto boats, Dingle constructed triple cockpit runabout Gerry Lo in 1929 for Frank W.
Griswold, founder of the Griswold Safety Signal Company for the astounding amount of
$25,000. Griswold and his company were known for designing and developing railroad
crossing signals and traffic signs. Griswold acquired several patents for his inventions
starting with the “Bobby” signal, in addition to a rotating stop sign designed for either the
middle of the road or roadside at railroad crossings. Gerry Lo was launched at Lake
Minnetonka in 1929 and in the same boathouse until 1992, when she was sold after
Griswold’s death. Labeled “the most famous runabout ever built in the state of
Minnesota”, she was sold at auction in October 2010 for $285,000 (Mecum Auctions
2010a, 64-67, 2010b, 4-5; Railway Signaling and Communications 1927, 121-122).12
UFI-yjJJJ u-Bool*
Built In D,N , o( ro(ntM. I
for *h line*
in*. Roomy. .
l
material*. i
llnUh And don* I
mu*«>r*nce chc»Pcr
[0 sx.vo)^M^-
J&* (Bioat
c.st.i8B0
A Joseph Dingle Boat Works advertisement
showcasing a runabout.
In mid-February 1931, St. Paul’s Department of Public Works granted “Joseph Dingle
Boat Works permission to use a portion of the levee which lies between the easterly line
of Dunwell & Spencer’s Addition and the westerly line of 2nd Addition of Brooklynd
Addition and the northerly right-of-way of the R. I. Ry. Co.”. Dingle required the levee
use because of the Boat Works expansion in 1934 when Dingle constructed a new one-
story 40 by 50-foot factory at 596 Texas Street. Regardless of the street address, this
new building was known as ‘Dingle Boat Works, Mississippi River at Airport’; it was
located at the northeast corner of the St. Paul Downtown Airport Holman Field
(Commissioner of Public Works 1931, 38; Minnesota Resources Commission 1941,
117; Steel 1934, 201). The Boat Works business office remained on Isabel Street. While
Dingle was known to design and build larger vessels with substantial superstructures
prior to the construction of the new facility - including the 55.00-foot long Albert Lea
(1908), 33.00-foot long Roamer, 42.00-foot long Calista (1920-1925), and particularly
12See the chart on pages 36-49 for specifics on the individual Dingle Boats.
28
the 120.00-foot North Star (1922)13 - the proximity of the Texas Street factory to the
river, and the addition of marine railways, allowed efficient launching of larger boats.
Further, docks supplied ‘on-the-water storage’ where the boats could be fitted out while
floating, freeing-up factory space to be used for more boatbuilding.
Above: A 1916 plat map of St.
Paul south of the river. The
regular planned streets have
never followed this plan. The
location of Dingle’s factory at
596 Texas Street is marked in
red (Hopkins 1916, 13).
Right: This 1937 aerial image
records the Dingle Boat Works,
circled in red (John R. Borchert
Map Library, 1937, 27 October).
Exploiting the new, larger facility, in the 1930s the Boat Works took orders for larger
houseboats and cabin cruisers, boats not meant for racing or maximized speed. These
craft include EllenRuth (1933), a Houseboat (1933), Mayo Family Cruiser (1935),
Glengarry (1936), and the Cushner Houseboat (1937). During World War II, the Joseph
Dingle Boat Works constructed the SC-497 Class Submarine Chasers SC-1000, SC-
13Dr. Will Mayo commissioned Dingle to construct the large motor yacht North Star, she took 15 men working 8 months to
complete, and a purpose-built building was constructed in St. Paul to accommodate the build. See the chart on pages 36-49 for
specifics on the individual Dingle Boats.
29
1001, and SC-100214 using specifications supplied by the US Navy. The subchaser-
building program was designed to produce 438 wooden boats from 45 smaller boat-
building firms around the nation, leaving steel for warship fabrication and warship
construction to very large shipyards. The launchings of SC-1000 and SC-1002 into the
Mississippi River in late October 1942 and early April 1943 were noteworthy. “The first
combat vessel of the war to be built in the Twin City area was launched at the Dingle
boat works here today... 12-year old Patricia Ann Towle smashed a bottle of soda water
against the bow” and “the third sub chaser built in St. Paul goes down the ways at the
Dingle boat works today when Delores Becker, daughter of Michael Becker, foreman at
the plant, christens the ship. The Diesel-powered 110-foot S. C. 1001 is a sister ship to
sub chasers launched in October and November. It is equipped with depth charges”.
Lastly, Dingle constructed the towboat Cartasca [Cargill and Itasca] for Cargill,
launching the vessel in September 1944. Cargill family members John Cargill, Jr.,
Cargill MacMillan, and Austen Cargill cruised down the Mississippi River in November,
after Cartasca’s complete out-fitting. Cartasca moved barges of grain from Port Cargill
in Savage on the Minnesota River to points on the Mississippi River. In December 1945
the towboat sank during the process of getting her prepared for winter storage, and was
raised during warmer weather ( Brainerd Daily Dispatch 1945; Broehl 1992, 670;
Evening Tribune 1942; Moorhead Daily News 1942, 1943; Republican Herald 1951;
Sables 2005).15
This 1945 aerial image records the Dingle Boat Works, in the red square, just prior to its sale to the
Midway Lumber Company. Marine railways and docks are clearly seen, with vessels moored (John R.
Borchert Map Library, 1945).
14See the chart on pages 36-49 for specifics on the individual Dingle Boats.
15lbid.
30
By 1946, George Towle (probably Patricia Ann’s father) either owned the Joseph Dingle
Boat Works or was the manager of the firm. Later that year, in early May 1946, the
Minneapolis Dredging Company purchased Dingle’s airport facilities and subsequently
leased the property to the Twin City Barge and Towing Company. However, the Dingle
Boat Works (not the Joseph Dingle Boat Works) existed as a subsidiary of the Midway
Lumber Company at 630 North Prior Avenue in St. Paul until 1949 ( Marine News 1946,
113; Minnesota Resources Commission 1946, 316; Research Division 1949, 185; The
Rudder 1947, 46; Waterways Journal 1996, 42).
Joseph Dingle Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat
MHM documented the DOMB on February 17 and March 1, 8, and 10, 2017 at the
MNHS warehouse. The DOMB’s wooden hull is 16.00 feet long, 4.00 feet in the beam,
with a 15.00-inch depth of hold. The stem consists of a triangular outer stempost that is
curved and attached to the keel. Large bolts driven through the outer stempost attach it
to the inner stempost (not seen). The bolts go through a bronze keel strip that is
attached to the stempost, keel, and lower transom at the stern, where it is attached with
slot head screws. A Maxwell anchor roller with an anchor lock was attached to the bow
but is now loose, although it is accompanying the craft. It is not original to the boat since
it was manufactured in 1953 (Maxwell 1953). A black mushroom anchor accompanies
the boat. A round hole bored through the stempost serves as a tow ring and mooring
attachment. At the stern, the keel protrudes from the hull bottom and is rectangular in
cross-section. The gunwale has no caprail and a foredeck covers the gunwale at the
bow. The aft edge of the foredeck is shaped by coaming that extends about 12 inches
along each side of the boat and is attached to the inside of the gunwale. Futtocks are
visible between the narrow beams that comprise the gunwale along the aft 3/4 of the
vessel; the outer beam acts as a rubrail.
The Joseph Dingle Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat (MHM)
31
Maxwell
Anchor Roller
and
Mushroom
Anchor
Above: The bow and
foredeck of the Dingle
boat, looking aft.
Right: The forward
bench and foredeck of
the Dingle boat, looing
forward. Note the
longitudinal stringers and
keelson.
The hull is clinker-built (lapstrake), has a wide flat bottom, and the aft section of the boat
has minor tumblehome where the hull narrows from the waterline to the gunwale. The
transom rakes slightly aft and is comprised of 2 wide planks; the gunwale edge of the
top plank rounded port and starboard, and flat amidships - designed to take an
outboard motor. The transom plate is actually 6 vertical planks that enhances the
transom’s strength when the motor is on the boat, attached to the inner transom face.
32
Inside the hull at the transom, a centerline knee is attached to the boat’s bottom and
adds strength to the stern. Two horizontal knees on the port and starboard quarters
inside the gunwale also add stability and strength. The DOMB has thin frames attached
to the inner hull, providing rigidity to the vessel. As best as MHM can discern, each
frame is one long thin piece of wood that has been curved into a wide U shape. A wide
keelson rests on top of the keel and 8 stringers are attached to the top of the floors, 4
on port and 4 on starboard. The 2 stringers furthest to port and starboard are shorter
than the other 6, stopping forward of amidships.
Above: Transom
stern
Above: The composite
transom plate and
gunwale level stern knees
Left: Longitudinal stringers
and keelson with a foot
brace chock and foot rest
Longitudinal stringers are attached to the futtocks on both sides extending from the
stern quarters to the bow. Benches rest on the longitudinal stringers from amidships to
the stern along the vessel’s sides, widening across the boat at the stern to provide a
wide bench for the boat’s operator. The stern bench is comprised of several wooden
pieces supported by 2 athwartships riders sitting on top of floors; the forward rider is
actually a bulwark that creates an enclosed stern area. A removable seat back
33
comprised of 2 wooden slats attached to vertical posts slots into rectangular cuts in the
decking and leans against an athwartships beam attached to the gunwale on port and
starboard. Behind the seat back, removable decking - comprised of wood sections -
allows access to the fuel tank that is no longer extant. A gap between two of the
removable deck sections exists to allow a fuel line to run from the outboard motor to the
fuel tank, as well as access to the steering cables.
An athwartships amidships bench is attached to the forward edge of the side benches
that are attached to the vessels sides with metal braces. Another bench is located
forward, resting on the longitudinal stringers like the other athwartships and side
benches. Four metal oarlocks, 2 on each side, are attached to the gunwale amidships
aft of the athwartships benches, indicating where rowers should sit. Two mismatched
oars, one with copper applied to the tip of the blade, a wooden boat hook with a metal
end, and a carved wooden flag mast are associated with the watercraft.16 Additionally,
two wooden chocks attached to the boat’s keelson serve as the rower’s foot braces.
Forward of each chock, removable flat platforms serve as foot rests for the rowers feet;
an additional forward foot rest is located under the foredeck for a front bench
passenger’s feet. The watercraft is held together with slot head screws and short nails,
16MHM suggests one of the oars and the mast were not donated to the MNHS with the Dingle boat but are now erroneously
associated with it.
34
the hull is painted white, and the foredeck and coaming are unpainted. The unpainted
top strake on both port and starboard has the outlines of the numbers and letters that
comprise the boat’s registration number - WS 5736 EG.
The vital statistics linked to Wisconsin registration number 5736 EG indicates it was last
licensed by Lucille Moeller in 1989 and the wooden boat is 16.00 feet long (Wisconsin
DNR, personal communication, March 6, 2017). The history attached to the DOMB
indicates that Fred Dingle gifted the boat to his good friend Bud Moeller in the early
1930s. Moeller left instructions with his wife Lucille to pass the DOMB to Captain
William D. Bowell after his death. Therefore, the DOMB became the property of Bowell
sometime around 1989 and he donated the boat to the MNHS in 2004. The ‘Jos. Dingle
Boat Works’ name plate was removed from the DOMB by Bowell; he stored it in a
tobacco can marked with the initials “F.D.”. The can was a Christmas gift to Fred from
Bud in 1927 (Bowell 2004). Captain Bowell was the founder of St. Paul’s Padelford
Riverboat Company. The DOMB is stable and in fantastic condition. MHM suggests the
boat remain on its keel, the bottom supported in its entirety to prevent hogging and
sagging.
35
MHM’s 3D scans of the Joseph Dingle
Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat. The
scanning process included several scans
saved as separate files. Because of the
vagaries in lighting, the color version of
the scanned images appears like a
patchwork (right and below).
f
36
A List of Joseph Dingle Boat Works Vessels
Name
Type
Material
Built
Length
Beam
Depth
Propulsion
Joseph Dingle
Boat Works
Outboard
Motor Boat
Outboard
Motor
Launch
Wood
1910s-
Early
1930s
16.00’
4.00’
15.00”
Outboard
Motor/Oars
Absaraka
Launch
Wood
1902
Gasoline
Ace™
Limousine
Runabout
Wood
1920
33.00’
5.50’
Thoroughbred
4 Cycle Type
B Engine, 32-
40 HP, Red
Wing Boat
Company
Ace
Motor Boating 1922, 18
Albatross iy
Catboat
Wood
1892
Sail
Albert Lea 20
Raised Deck
Cruiser
Wood
1908
55.00’ 11.50’
Twin Screw
Engines, 60
HP
Albert Lea
Cole 1910, 378
Banshee
1st Class
Sloop
Cedar
1895
29.00’
Sail
Bickford Boat^ Catboat
Wood
1914 16.00’
Sail
17 Minneapolis Journal 1902d.
18 Motor Boating 1922,18; Pacific Motor Boat 1920, 36.
19Sf. Paul Daily Globe 1892b,g, 1892i, 1893g, 1894d.
20Evening Tribune. 11.16.1908; Cole 1910, 378, 380; Daily Gate City 1908; Motor Boat 1908, 58.
21 St. Paul Daily Globe 1895a-b.
22 Daily Missoulian 1914.
37
Name
Type
Material
Built Length Beam Depth Propulsion
Bisbee
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
Bisbee
Minneapolis Journal 1905b
1905 27.00’
i; s: •;
4 Cylinder
White
Gasoline
Engine, 20
HP, Globe
Iron Works,
Minneapolis
Britannia
Sailboat
Wood
-1894
Sail
Buster Boy25
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
1904
Gasoline
Engine, 20
HP, Globe
Iron Works,
Calista 26
Launch
Oak
1920-
1925
42.00’
10.67’
Grey Marine
Engine, 85
HP
Cartasca 27
Towboat
Wood
1944
40.00’
33.00’
6.50’
8 Chrysler
Marine
Engines,
1160 HP
Cartasca
Republican Herald 1951
Catamaran
Sailboat
Wood
<1884
Sail
Chippewa 29
USACE
Screw
Launch
Wood
1913
35.00’
5.67’
3.33’
4 Cylinder
Capitol
Engine, 40
HP, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
Chippewa dU
USACE
Wood d
1935
34.00’
Motor
23McGinnis 2010, 21; Minneapolis Journal 1905a-b; Minneapolis Tribune 1905; Minnetonka Record 1905; Motor Age 1905, 19;
Power Boat News 1 905b, 1 06.
24 St. Paul Daily Globe 1894f.
25 Power Boat News 1 905b; Minneapolis Journal 1 905b.
26Barron County Historical Society ND.
27Broehl 1992, 670.
28 St. Paul Daily Globe 1 884b.
29USACE 1913, 3638, 1914, 4324-4326, 1917, 3928-3929.
30 Waterways Journal 1975, 8.
38
Name Type Material Built Length Beam Depth Propulsion
City of St. Paul
Rowboats'
31
309+
Rowboats
Wood
-1894-
1911 +
Oars
Row Boats on Lake Como
MNHS-MR2.9SP4.1Clp7
Digitized by MHM
Columbia
Sloop
Wood
1893
30.00’
Sail
Columbia
St. Paul Daily Globe 1895b
COLUMBIA.
Como Park
Launch33
Launch
Wood
1900
Electric Motor
Cushner
Houseboat34
Houseboat
Wood
1937
50.00
Gasoline
Cushner Houseboat
Divine 2008
31 See earlier section.
32 St. Paul Daily Globe 1893d-h, 1894b, 1895a-b.
33Warrant 2879, 1902.
34Divine 2008.
39
Name
Type
Material
Built Length Beam Depth Propulsion
Dick Six 35
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
1909
39.50’
5.33’
6 Cylinder
Capitol
Engine, 100
HP, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
Dingle-Capitol 36
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
1909
29.00’
5.00’
6 Cylinder 4
Cycle Capitol
Engine, 1,100
RPM, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
Dingle-Capitol
Power Boating 1910a, 53
Dolly DingleJ '
Motor Boat
Wood
1916
20.00
Gasoline
Elizabeth™
Catboat
Wood
1890
20.25’
8.75’
Sail
Twin 6
Ellen Ruth 39
Launch
Cypress & Oak
1933
42.00’
10.00’
Cylinder
Studebaker
Engines
EllenRuth
City of Wahkon
Ellen Ruth
Mille Lacs Messenger 2013.
35 Motor Boat 1 909a, 64.
36Cole 1910, 380; Motor Boat 1909b, 37, 1909c, 41; Power Boating 1910a, 54, 1910b, 350.
37 Open Exhaust 1916, 10.
38McGinnis 2010, 63; Northwestern Tourist 1890; Minneapolis Times 1896; Mott 1894, 453.
39Jenkinson and Roberts 1985; Mille Lacs Messenger 1 933a-c, 1938; Paul Petty, personal communication, March 13, 2017.
40
Name
Type
Material
Built
Length
Beam
Depth
Propulsion
Esmeralda 4U
Catboat
Wood
1895
Sail
Finola 41
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
<1910
4 Cylinder
Capitol
Engine, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
Finola
Cole 1910, 380.
* ■
Fritz 42
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat/
Runabout
Wood
<1908
Motor
Fritz
Joseph Dingle Boat Works -1920.
Brochure
MHM Collection
Digitized by MHM
Galatea
Catboat
Wood
1892
Sail
Galena
USACE
Screw
Launch
Wood
1913
35.00’
5.67’
3.33’
4 Cycle
Reverse Gear
Engine, 40
HP, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
Game Warden
Boat I45
Power Boat
Wood
1928
26.00’
5.83’
Engines with
Autopulse
Gasoline
Supply
System
40 St. Paul Daily Globe 1895a, 1895d-e.
41 Cole 1910, 378, 380.
42Joseph Dingle Boat Works ND; Fishman 1989, 41.
43 St. Paul Daily 1892b,d, 1893f-g.
44Rock Island Argus 1914.9.25; USACE 1914, 4345-4347, 1917, 3928-3929.
44 Waterways Journal 1975, 8.
45Dillon 1928, 130.
41
Name
Type
Material
Built
Length
Beam
Depth
Propulsion
Game Warden
Boat 246
Power Boat
Wood
1928
26.00’
5.83’
Engines with
Autopulse
Gasoline
Supply
System
Gamma*'
Sloop
Wood
1904
Sail
Gerry Lo 48
Triple Cockpit
Runabout
Mahogany
1929
30.00’
7.08’
Curtiss D-12
WWI Aircraft
Engine
Gerry Lo
Mecum Auctions 2010, 64, 67.
Glengarry 49
Twin V-Drive
Chrysler
Houseboat
Cypress & Oak
1938
48.83’
15.00’
4.80’
Crown
Engines, 92
HP
Glengarry
KSTP.com
Globe
Consolidated 50
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
1907
39.92’
5.00’
6 Cylinder, 4
Cycle Doman
Marine
Engine, 60
HP
46Dillon 1928, 130.
47 Minneapolis Journal 1904b; St. Paul Globe 1904a-b.
48Mecum Auctions 2010a, 64-67; Schley 2001, 18-23.
49Marjanian ND; Woodyboater 2013.
50 Boating 1907b, 54; Fore ‘N’ Aft 1907a, 52; 1907b, 27; Motor Boat 1907b, 8.
42
Name
Type
Material
Built
Length
Beam
Depth
Propulsion
Grace 51
Launch
Wood
1902
Motor
Gusty Glided
Yacht
Wood
1889
20.50’
9.00’
Sail
Hiawatha 53
USACE
Screw
Launch
Cypress
1912
35.17’
6.21’
3.50’
4 Cylinder
Engine, 35
HP, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
Hortense 54
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat/
Runabout
Wood
<1920
Motor
Hortense
Joseph Dingle Boat Works -1920.
Brochure
MHM Collection
Digitized by MHM
Twin Sterling
Houseboat55
Cruising
Houseboat
Wood
1933
125.00’
25.00’
Petrel
Reduction
Engines, 360
HP
Houseboat
Motor Boating 1 933
Back Cover
Hydroplane56
Outboard
Wood
1916
18.00’
5-10 HP
Outboard
Motor
Hydroplane
Open Exhaust 1917b, 22
51 McGinnis 2010, 96; Minneapolis Journal 1902b-c; Minneapolis Tribune 1902b.
“McGinnis 2010 97; Minneapolis Tribune 1889; Northwestern Tourist 1889.
53 Rock Island Argus 1912; USACE 1913, 4234-4235, 1917, 3928-3929.
54 Joseph Dingle Boat Works, ND.
55 Motor Boating 1933, Back Cover. This boat may not have been constructed since Dingle listed 2 Sterling engines for sale -
cheap - in the February 1934 issue of Motor Boating on page 301.
x Open Exhaust 1917b, 22.
43
Name
Type
Material
Built Length Beam Depth Propulsion
Janes Power
Boat57
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat/
Runabout
Wood
1905
Motor
Jeannette 58
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat/
Runabout
Mahogany
1909
42.00
5.83’
6 Cylinder
Capitol
Engine, 100
HP, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
Jeannette
Cole 1910, 380
Johnson
Launch59
Launch
Wood
<1916
28.00’
Motor
Katie DbU
Sloop
Wood
1894
Sail
Katie D
St. Paul Daily Globe 1 894e
THE KATIE D.
Lapstrake
Runabout61
Outboard
Motor Boat
Wood
1920s-
1930s
16.00’
Modern
Outboard
Lapstrake Runabout
Antique Boat America
57 Power Boat News 1905b, 106.
58Cole 1910, 380-381; McGinnis 2010, 126; Minneapolis Tribune 1909.
Will mar Tribune 1916.
60 St. Paul Daily Globe 1894c-e.
61 Antique Boat America Web Site.
44
Name
Type
Material
Built Length Beam Depth Propulsion
Manitou™ Catboat Wood ] 1889 25.00’ 9.50’
Sail
Manitou
St. Paul Daily Globe 1 894a
if V\
/ ✓/ \ >
/ to
/. x
| |
\
MANITOU.
i
\
fj
- ’Zm
Mayo Family
Boat63
Cabin Cruiser
Wood
1935
36.00’
Red Wing
Arrowhead 4
Cycle Engine,
25-45 HP,
Red Wing
Merry
Monarch 64
Catboat
Wood
1891
Sail
Minnehaha 65
USACE
Screw
Launch
Cypress
1912
35.17’
6.21’
3.50’
4 Cycle
Capitol
Engine, 36.50
HP, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
Minneiska 66
USACE
Screw
Launch
Cypress
1913
35.17’
6.21’
3.50’
4 Cycle
Capitol
Engine, 35
HP, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
Minnewaukan 67
Launch
Wood
1908
4 Cylinder
Engine
Nancy Ruth™ Catboat Wood <1893 Sail
Nirvana by Sloop Wood 1895 23.00 Sail
62 St. Paul Daily Globe 1890b-c, 1892c, 1893g.
63 Motor Boating 1935, 93.
64 St. Paul Daily Globe 1891a-c, 1892c.
65USACE 1913, 4248-4250, 1914, 4375-4377, 1917, 3928-3929.
66USACE 1914, 4375-4377, 1917, 3928-3929.
67 Devils Lake Inter-Ocean <& Devils Lake Free Press, 1908.
68 St. Paul Daily Globe 1893c,g.
45
Name
Type
Material
Built Length Beam Depth Propulsion
Nodin 70
USACE
Screw
Launch
Cedar
1915
30.25
5.67’
2.83’
4 Cylinder 4
Cycle L Head
Capitol
Engine, 20
HP, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
North Butte
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
1906
38.00’
5.00’
6 Cylinder, 4
Cycle Doman
Marine
Engine, 30
HP
North Butte
Boating 1907a, Cover
Twin 8
North Star 72
Motor Yacht/
Houseboat
Mahogany
1922
120.00’
23.00’
Cylinder
Sterling
Engines, 400
HP
North Star
MNHS GV3.61r68
Digitized by MHM
69 St. Paul Daily Globe 1895e.
70USACE 1915, 4576-4578.
71 Boating 1907a, Cover, 55; 1907b, 54; Fore ‘N’ Aft 1907a, 52; 1907b, 27; Motor Boat 1907a, 61, 1907b, 8.
72 Bismarck Tribune 1922; Clark 1922, 25; Bureau of Navigation 1923, 248, 1936 921, 1070; Neuzil 2004, 14-15.
46
Name
Type
Material
Built Length Beam Depth Propulsion
North Wind73
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
-1920
Motor
North Wind
Courtesy of Steve Hack
Nushka 74
Catboat/
Sloop
Wood
<1889
Sail
Nushka
St. Paul Daily Globe 1 892d
MNHS GV3.61Sp125
Digitized by MHM
Panama 75
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
1915
Gasoline
Panama
Power Boating 1916, 11
Peterson
Outboard Boat76 Motor Boat
Outboard
Wood
1914 16.00
Evinrude
Outboard
Motor
73Steve Hack, personal communication, March 29, 2017.
74 St. Paul Daily Globe 1889, 1890b-c, 1893g.
75 Open Ex/?ausM 91 5a, 5-10, 1915b, 10, 1915c, 12, 1917a, 6, 1917b, 12; Power Boating 1916, 11.
76 Daily Missoulian 1914.
47
Name
Type
Material
Built
Length
Beam
Depth
Propulsion
Petrel "
Catboat
Wood
1895
Sail
Pine Cone 78
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
1909
32.0073
5.00’
30 HP Engine
Roamer 79
Roamer
Miron 2007
Sailboat80 4 Oars Wood <1890 1 I I T Oars/Sail
Salmon Lake
Club Rowboat
Rowboat
Wood
1914
14.00
Rowboat
i81
Salmon Lake
Club Rowboat
Rowboat
Wood
1914
16.00
Rowboat
282
SC- 100083
Twin 8-268A
Engines,
Subchaser
Wood
1942
148.00’
17.00’
6.50’
1760 HP,
General
Motors
SC-100184
Twin 8-268A
Engines,
Subchaser
Wood
1942
148.00’
17.00’
6.50’
1760 HP,
General
Motors
77 St. Paul Daily Globe 1895a-b.
78Cole 1910, 381 ; Bemidji Daily Pioneer 1 909.
79*ln 1934 Joseph Dingle Boat Works was employed to install a new Universal 45 HP engine, replacing the original power
plant. Dingle also replaced the original soft Kenyon Auto Top with another example with increased waterproofing. In turn, the 1934
top was replaced by the current enclosed cabin in 2002 (Miron 2007).
80The ad offering this boat for sale listed it as a “a four-oared Dingle rowboat, with sail, to exchange for a light pony cart or
buggy in god condition. For particulars address No. 5, Fort Snelling” (St. Paul Daily Globe 1890a).
81 Daily Missoulian 1914.
82 Daily Missoulian 1914.
83Naval History Division 1976, 735; NavSource Online.
84Naval History Division 1976, 735; NavSource Online.
48
85Naval History Division 1976, 735; NavSource Online.
86Schletz Receipt from Joseph Dingle Boat Works, March 10, 1939, www.flicker.com.
87Cole 1910, 377; The Rudder 1909, 151.
88 St. Paul Daily Globe 1892a,e.
89 St. Paul Daily Globe 1892e, 1893a.
90 Waterways Journal 1975, 8.
91 Stewart River Boatworks Facebook page. The Boatworks was restoring the boat at the request of the State of Minnesota for
Tettagouche State Park.
49
Name
Type
Material
Built
Length
Beam
Depth
Propulsion
USACE
Trimbelle92 Screw Wood 1913 35.00’
Launch
Westman
Engine, 25
HP,
Enterprise
Machine
Company,
Minneapolis
Whale/
Valkyrie 94
Sloop
Wood
1892
Sail
6 Cylinder
White Engine,
80 HP, Globe
Iron Works,
Minneapolis
White
Ellis 1906, 31
YMCA
Centerboard
Boat96
Row/Sail/
Motor
Wood
1916
6 Oars/Sail/
Outboard
Motor
Zumbro 97
USACE
Screw
Launch
Wood
1913
35.00’
5.67’
3.33’
4 Cycle
Capitol
Engine, 40
HP, Auto
Engine
Works, St.
Paul
White
Power/Motor/
Auto Boat
Wood
1905 41.00’+
6.00’
Westman
Power/Auto
Boat
Wood
1905
30.0073
6.00’
5.00
5.67’ 3.33’
4 Cycle
Reverse
Gear, 40 HP,
Auto Engine
Works, St.
Paul
92USACE 1913, 3645, 3666, 4275-6276, 1914, 4417-4419.
93McGinnis 2010, 267; Motoring and Boating. 1905, 209; Power Boat News 1905b, 106.
94 St. Paul Daily Globe 1 892f,h, 1 894d.
95McGinnis 2010, 267-268; Minneapolis Journal 1905c-f; Motoring and Boating 1905, 209; Power Boat News 1905a, 53.
96 Grand Forks Daily Herald 1916.
97USACE 1913, 3646, 1914, 4426-4428, 1917, 3928-3929.
50
Cokato Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat
Cokato Museum, Cokato, Wright County
History
MHM first learned of the Indian Cokato Boat Works (CBW) when visiting the Cokato
Museum in December 201 3.98 Gordon L. Mattson announced the establishment of the
CBW in early April 1948, where he would be constructing “cedar strip boats in 12-foot,
14-foot, and 16-foot sizes. A year later, with the help of brother Milton Mattson, CBW
was busy making custom-built watercraft, ordered from people around Minnesota, Iowa,
and the Dakotas. The vessels were constructed using ash, oak, and cedar. During 1949
or 1950, the Mattson brothers erected a new Quonset building to house the Cokato
Boat and Cabinet Works on land owned by their father, John Mattson, on Highway 12.
Pictorial evidence of the inner workings of the CBW suggests the company produced
boats for the Larson Boat Company of Little Falls and labeled them as Larson
watercraft. Further, another CBW vessel named Squirt 3 that has survived was
recognized in its registration information as a 1951 Larson (Cokato Enterprise 1948,
1949; Cokato Museum; Gary Voggesser to Mike Worcester, personal communication,
August 16, 2016).
98MHM was at the Cokato Museum to document and take a wood sample from a dugout canoe for the Minnesota Dugout
Canoe Project.
51
MHM contends that the CBW took a contract from Larson to construct an unknown
number of boats in 1950-1951, stemming from the complete destruction by fire of the
Larson Boat Works in Little Falls on December 13, 1949. In 1948, Larson produced
1,700 wooden boats and at the time of the fire, the company was still producing large
numbers of wooden boats - their Falls Flyer, inboard utilities, and outboard fishing, duck
boats, and pleasure craft among them. Subsidiary Larson Water Craft Company
produced aluminum vessels in a separate factory and was unharmed. Larson lost 3
buildings, 400 wooden boats, and many more were damaged in the fire that started in
the wood sanding room. The fire spread quickly due to large amounts of flammable
varnish, paint, and wood. It is unknown how many watercraft CBW may have built for
Larson, but considering the CBW apparently only constructed about 40 watercraft, it
could not have been a large number. The CBW was solvent at least through 1952, but
by 1955, apparently the brothers were no longer producing boats. Instead, the Mattson
brothers established the Mattson Building Company that specialized in constructing
steel farm buildings and Quonset huts similar to the one that formerly housed the Boat
Works. Hand-crafting small wooden cedar strip boats was labor-intensive and
expensive, making them unprofitable when produced on a small scale. Only one other
CBW watercraft is known to survive, beyond the Cokato Museum and Voggesser
examples, owned by people in North Dakota (Brainerd Daily Dispatch 1949; Cokato
Museum; Cokato Enterprise 1955a-b; Miller 2008; Research Division 1952, 10, 1955
1 1 ; Sommers 2000, 21-30).
Four wooden Larson boats in the Cokato Boat Works factory (Cokato Mueum).
52
Cokato Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat
MHM documented the Cokato Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat (COMB) on February 1
and 22, 2017 at the Cokato Museum. Bruce Reischl, a restorer of boats and outboard
motors, came across the boat in 3 pieces - used as shelves - and acquired it. In 2007-
2008, Mr. Reischl restored the boat and then contacted the Cokato Museum to inform
the organization of its existence (Miller 2008), and in 2012 Mr. Reischl donated the
COMB to the museum. The COMB’s wooden hull is 13.50 feet long and 14.00 feet long
overall (including the bow roller and anchor lock), 4.50 feet in the beam, with a 17.00-
inch depth of hold. The stem consists of a rectangular outer stempost that is curved and
attached to the keel. Large bolts driven through the outer stempost attach it to the inner
stempost (not seen). An anchor roller with an anchor lock is attached to a bow casting
produced specifically for Cokato Boat Works. Joseph P. Fox’s anchor roller and lock
patent labeled the mechanism as a ‘rope snubber’ (Fox 1943). A screw eye attached to
the stempost and serves as a tow ring. At the stern, the keel s attached to the hull
bottom and protrudes from it, square in cross-section. The gunwale has no caprail so
the futtocks are visible between the narrow beams that comprise the gunwale; the outer
beam acts as a rubrail. Splashrails run along the entire length of the COMB on port and
starboard. The hull is comprised of thin cedar wood strip strakes joined end to end,
making it carvel-built. The vessel has a wide flat bottom, and the aft section of the boat
has slight tumblehome, where the hull narrows from the waterline to the gunwale. The
square transom, designed to take an outboard motor, is comprised of 1 wide plank with
a thin caprail; it has 2 metal carrying handles and red reflectors attached. The transom
53
plate, a rectangular metal piece that enhances the transom’s strength when the motor is
on the boat, is attached to the inner transom face.
Left: The Cokato Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat is three pieces at the beginning of the restoration
process. Right: the reunited hull (Bruce Reichl, on file at the Cokato Museum).
The Cokato Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat (MHM).
Inside the hull at the transom, a centerline knee is attached to the boat’s bottom and
adds strength to the stern. Two horizontal metal knees on the port and starboard
quarters on top of the gunwale also add strength. The COMB has thin frames attached
to the inner hull, providing rigidity to the vessel. Each frame is one long thin piece of
wood that has been curved into a wide U shape. One short longitudinal stringer is
attached to the hull bottom near the boat and 2 longitudinal stringers attached to the
futtocks on both sides extending from the stern quarters to the bow. Four bench seats
rest on the longitudinal stringer, 1 in the bow, 2 amidships, and 1 in the stern. The aft
amidships bench also has metal brackets, port and starboard, as additional attachment
points to the gunwale. There are 4 metal oarlocks, 2 on each side, aligned with the 2
54
amidships benches. The watercraft is primarily held together with small bronze nails
enhanced by slot head screws and a few Phillips head screws in certain areas. The
bottom of the hull to just after the turn of the bilge, under the splashrails, is painted dark
green and the entire hull has a high varnish finish.
The Cokato Boat Works Outboard Motor Boat (MHM).
The current registration number painted on both sides of the bow is MN 0102 KH and it
expired in 2013. This number in the “K” range is in a group of numbers reserved for
vessels such as rowboats, canoes, and sailboats that can operate with motors, but have
the options of oar or sail propulsion as well. The information in DNR records reflects the
nature of the boat: “14’ Cokato 1950, made of wood, last registered 12/31/2013” (John
Nordby, personal communication, March 6, 2017). However, this information is only
partially correct, stemming from the fact that the boat was taken out of commission and
cut into 3 pieces for a time. The original registration number for the COMB, shown in
images taken during her restoration, was MN 1792 AC. This number was assigned to
the boat in 1959, when the State of Minnesota first required motor boat registrations.
The DNR information attached to this license number: “14’ Home 1952, last registered
12/31/1994” (John Nordby, personal communication, March 6, 2017). This information is
helpful, since it reveals that the owner of the COMB listed her as a ‘home build’ and not
the CBW - regardless of the fact that “Cokato Boat Wks. Cokato, Minn.” is impressed
into the bow casting - or did not think it was important. Whether the boat was
constructed in 1950 or 1952 cannot be determined at this time. Lastly, Mr. Reischl’s fine
restoration work can be discerned due to the use of wood of a lighter shade in those
places where he combined the 3 hull pieces into one skillfully integrated whole - a
proper act of conservation and restoration of the COMB.
I
55
Left: The current registration
number on the boat (MHM).
MHM’s 3D scans of the Cokato Boat
Works Outboard Motor Boat. The
scanning process included several
scans saved as separate files.
Because of the vagaries in lighting,
the color version of the scanned
images appears like a patchwork
(below).
56
Herter’s Model St. Lawrence Outboard Motor Boat (1 988.338.1. A-C)
Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Ramsey County
History
MHM first learned of the Herter’s Model St. Lawrence Outboard Motor Boat (HSL) when
visiting the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) warehouse in January 2014."
Herter’s, Inc., established in 1937 by George Herter, initially occupied the upper level of
his father’s dry goods store in Waseca. Growing during the 1940s, Herter’s
manufactured and sold a variety of hunting equipment (including firearms and
ammunition), fishing tackle, decoys, other types of sporting goods, and soon - boats -
by mail order catalog. The company opened 7 brick and mortar stores100, but over the
decades the company was primarily known for its mail order business and quirky
catalogs, written by George Herter with his “Barnum-esque” language. This habit is
reflected in the description of “Herter’s Aircraft Division, Inc. - World’s largest suppliers
of aircraft, air missile and air target liquid glass resins”. Also, Herter proudly claimed
many of his products had earned the endorsement of the ‘North Star Guides
Association’ - an organization that was a figment of his imagination. Further, Herter’s
catalogs and several custom-casted metal products claimed the company was
established in 1893 - the year Edward O. Herter founded his store in Waseca - and not
in 1937. Regardless of fantastic claims, it is fact that a Waseca company’s production of
400,000-500,000 Herter’s catalogs per order made it one of the busiest US commercial
printing firms. Herter’s other publications considered a variety of topics, including a
recipe book that had 15 editions and Hitler’s omelet recipe, he claimed. Herter’s has
been characterized as “the Sears, Roebuck of the outdoor industry.. .[and] was the
inspiration for today’s huge mail order and big-box outdoor retailers”. This moniker is
helpful to place Herter’s in an historical context as an innovator in American commerce.
However, over-extension and other circumstances pushed the company into bankruptcy
in 1977. Cabela’s acquired the Herter’s brand and it still embosses ammunition boxes
and other products (Collins 2008; Copyright Office 1957, 1118; Smith 2015).
Left: USGS Map of Waseca with the
Herter’s, Inc. factory circled in red
(1964). Below: Aerial image of the
Herter’s factory in July 1951 (John R.
Borchert Map Library)
MHM was at the MNHS to document and take a wood sample from a dugout canoe for the Minnesota Dugout Canoe Project.
100The stores were located in Waseca and Glenwood, MN, Mitchell, SD, Beaver Dam, Wl, Iowa City and Iowa Falls, IA, and in
Olympia, WA.
57
Herter’s Boats and Boat-Building Supplies
By 1949 the company sold boat-making supplies, including “Herter’s Famous Blue
Prints” for several types of wooden fishing and hunting boats - and water shoes. Water
shoes appear to be thin wooden planks attached to the feet and designed “by a foreign
power for moving fully equipped troops quickly and safely over inland water and
swamps”. Further, by 1951 the company sold and advertised “new life for old boats”,
promoting the sale and use of fiberglass fabric and resin to preserve and protect
wooden hulls. Herter’s further touted their fiberglass application process with claims that
their “Fiberglas has 5 times the tensile strength of steel. ..will stop a bullet, is rotproof,
wormproof, corrosionproof, non-deteriorating, permanently colored if desired”. Other
watercraft-related supplies in Herter’s catalogs include their “Famous Dull Duck Boat
Paint”, “Famous Concentrated Marine Boat Cement and Crack Repairer”, marine glue,
and canvas waterproofer, filler, and shrinker, fiberglass hull patching kits, metal safety
boat stabilizers, metal oarlocks, wooden oars and copper oar tips. By 1954, Herter’s
promotion of their chrome fiberglass cloth and liquid glass led to the production of their
own line of watercraft - using wood or chrome fiberglass to construct the hulls (Herter’s
Inc. 1949, 74-77, 1951, 37-43; Motor Boating 1952a, 120-121, 1952b, 104, 1954, 379).
\ # Herter * lhe «nl>
\ j-las p^cet^ laH proce^ f lhc Oernxnt
“M' Naw. .»«> **
\ & «»y »*•« ‘ -
\ 9 Reliable- * * ' A I
Corp*- | i0«esl »n r° *eulVt* .
*525. or
fiive vouf \io«rs °r ' ; if in 2 W ^ - 1
Her,rr f,h\
UrKriorof'K-
rowonprooi. o®
WL
today-
CHROME FIBERGLAS CLOTH
and LIQUID GLASS
BOAT COVERING and MAKING
BUY DIRECT AT WHOLESALE PRICES!
195'
GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICES.
WORLD'S LARGEST SUPPLIERS.
WRITE TODAY FOR HUGE
NEW CATALOG NO. ANK
J
HERTER’S SST f£s "««•* Mi""“8’0
GUARANTEED SOLD AT LESS
THAN WHOLESALE PRICES
9 14 ft. Takes outboards up to 25 Horsepower. Made of
Owens Corning fiberglas and duraluminum. Made in off
season to give work to decoy plant. nfl
Guaranteed $600.00 value. May be left
outside the year around. Uncondition-
ally guaranteed. y* FOB Waseca
Herter’s advertisements promoting boats and boat
maintenance products (Motor Boat 1952, Motorboating
1954, 379, Popular Science 1957, 85, 1959, 245
1 Jshd \^L«clT:^NA.^t>^s
WRITE FOR CATALOG DEPT. CAFW
LUHERTER'S Vaseca, Minn. Since 1893
\ U.S€D 8Y ARMY' navy and marines
\\ a ^ow Cost— Apply fa #e>M ft r |
* ■ • "• «* cu,!,ZL I
COMBAT AIRPLANES AUTff r PROOF VESTS,
B°DIES
HERTER’S
WASECA, MlNNFQnTA
58
The Waseca factory’s address was 1 I6V2 State Street in Waseca by 1949 (and possibly
earlier), was registered with the State of Minnesota as the ‘Herter’s Hunting Equipment
Plant’ in 1952 and 1955, described as a company manufacturing “fishing tackle and
hunting equipment, including decoys” - no mention of boats specifically. However, in
1956 Herter’s published a detailed account of their chrome fiberglass process that
plated spun fiberglass with chrome. Herter’s produced fiberglass by melting glass
marbles, subjecting the liquid glass to air blowers to form the melted glass into filaments
that were wound around a drum, and then the fibers were brought together into one
thread and collected onto spools. The spools were heated to remove starch and at this
point, the glass fibers were coated with chrome that “gives the glass fibers a permanent
coat which tends to shed moisture and most important of all makes the Resinote101
when applied stick tightly to the glass. Herter’s evidence that chrome fiberglass boats
were made from “the one material from which the best boats are being built” was the
acceptance by the US Navy, Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps to utilize the material to
manufacture boats, combat helmets, flak jackets, and Infantry combat armor. A Navy
report stated that chrome fiberglass “saturated with plastic resins simply cannot leak.
The only water that can come in, is spray or rain. ..the chrome glass fiber laminated hull
will not stretch, swell, shrink, or otherwise change its shape or increase in weight, nor
will it oxidize (rust)”. Further, the Navy determined that the smooth hulls increased a
boat’s speed and the lack of fasteners - wood screws - enhanced the hull’s strength.
Two test boats, one partially buried on a beach for 1 year and other left to soak in water
- and ice during the winter - for 2 years, experienced no changes. Herter’s sold chrome
fiberglass boat covering kits through the specialized catalog - along with wood and
chrome fiberglass boats. This addition to the company’s manufacturing enterprise was
reflected in their 1957 business listing: “Herter’s Inc., George L. Herter, fishing tackle,
gunstocks, fly tying equipment, shotgun chokes & ventilated ribs, reloading equipment
and components, decoys, game calls, fiberglass boats & boat coverings, marine
hardware” (Herter’s Inc. 1956, 3-4; Research Division 1949, 204, 1952, 68, 1955, 65,
1957, 61).
The Herter’s, Inc. factory
complex still exists south of
downtown Waseca (Google
Earth 2015).
101
Resinote is Herter’s own brand of resin used to manufacture fiberglass boats.
59
Therefore, Herter’s, Inc. began manufacturing boats in their Waseca factory in 1956.
That year, the company offered 5 open hull chrome fiberglass outboard motor boat
models: Canada (12 foot), Hudson Bay (14 foot), Manitoba (14 foot), St. Lawrence (16
foot), and Quebec (16 foot). Herter’s also offered the hulls of the Canada, Hudson Bay,
and Quebec models without the aluminum benches, gunwales, stringers, and other
fittings, intended for customers who preferred to customize their boats, or use them as
molds to create their own fiberglass vessels. Models Hudson Bay and Quebec could be
ordered with a ‘duraluminum’1® foredeck and lifting handle or an amidships deck for an
additional charge. Models Manitoba and St. Lawrence have deeper hulls and are wider
in the beam than the Canada, Hudson Bay, and Quebec models. The open hulled
chrome fiberglass models had duraluminum fittings, including hollow keels, benches,
stringers, and extruded duraluminum gunwales. All 5 models could be painted tanager
red, jet black, or marine green for an additional cost - otherwise the chrome fiberglass
hulls were delivered in their post-production translucent state (Herter’s Inc. 1956, 23-29).
HEAVY DUTY "* A Better
°VER,^7.Vy WEIGHT CHROMt '
EAVY DUTY V/EIG A Better Boat ForUj
Read Carefully YouWi — — ==:—
HERTER'S CHROME FIBERGLAS MODEL MANITOBA
AND MODEL ST. LAWRENCE
Herter’s specialized catalog
featured images and long
explanations about why everyone
should buy their boats or use their
chrome fiberglass to fix their boats
(Herter’s, Inc. 1956, 10, 24-26,
digitized by MHM).
PHOTOGRAPH OF OUR CHROME FIBERGLAS MODEL
QUEBEC HULL DESIGN
Photograph of Model SL Lawrence on the Water.
Photo No. 1 shows the unique aircraft type bracing *
the bottom that gives strength without weight Note
the number of Navy Epofoam Plastic filled flotation tacit*
for positive buoyancy under any condition.
HERTER'S INC., WASECA, MINNESOTA, U. S- A
PHOTOGRAPH OF OUR CHROME FIBERGLAS
MODEL HUDSON BAY ON THE WATER
This photograph is not very good as it was taken on
an overcast day, but it does show some of the beautiful lines
and manner in which our boats perform.
Photo No. 2. Model Hudson Bay
102
Duraluminum was a trade name for an early form of aluminum alloy. See pages 65-67 for examples of Herter’s boats.
60
Also in 1956, limited numbers of Herter’s outboard runabout models Mark III (14 foot)
and Mark IX (16 foot) were offered for sale. These chrome fiberglass boats had
foredecks, steering wheels, and 2 cockpits. Herter compared their sportier boat, the
“Duofoil World Famous Flying Fish Runabout”, to a spaceship with its chrome fiberglass
hull, duraluminum fittings, and port and starboard fins. Double-ended and square stern
canoes, as well as duck and goose boats, rounded out the 10 models of chrome
fiberglass watercraft offered for sale in 1956 (Herter’s Inc. 1956, 25-26).
HERTER'S CHROME FIBERGLAS DUOFOIL WORLD
FAMOUS FLYING FISH RUNABOUT
MEASUREMENTS AND PRICES
Although this famous runabout looks like a space ship
its design is time proven. It is actually a composite of the
two fastest boats in the world which in turn represent the
latest in proven marine design to date.
The forward part of the Flying Fish uses the proven
design principles of the boat Slo-Mo-Shun, North America’s
fastest boat and safest high speed boat. The rear of the hull
uses the design principles of the English Bluebird boat, the
fastest and safest European fast boat.
The hull and deck are chrome fiberglas. The gunwales,
sprayrails and keel are strong duraluminum. The prow
piece is hand cast duraluminum and has a built in stream-
lined handle.
Side and Top View
Right: Herter’s
Mark III and IX
in 1956
(Herter’s, Inc.
1956, 25).
HERTER'S CHROME FIBERGLAS MARK III AND
MARK IX RUNABOUTS. $900 RUNABOUTS
FOR $267.00
We will produce only a very few Mark III and Mark
fX runabouts this year as we produce them only to keep
some of our good employees during off seasons and most
of this time will go to our regular Chrome Fiberglas boats.
The Herter’s Spaceship, the Duofoil World Famous Flying Fish Runabout, owned by the Jetsons
(Herter’s, Inc. 1956, 26; Woodyboater.com).
However, Herter’s 1956 watercraft manufacturing team also offered wooden boats to
their customers who preferred wood instead of fiberglass. MHM suspects the thinness -
and the translucent nature of the un-painted examples - of the entirely chrome
fiberglass hulls might have not inspired confidence in some sportsmen and pleasure
boaters. The wooden boats were constructed of marine plywood, white oak, or
mahogany, and were shipped with a chrome fiberglass kit with enough material for the
new owner to cover the wooden vessel: models Fort Francis Voyageur (12 foot), Sioux
Duck Boat (12 foot), Winnebago Rice Boat (12 foot), and Cree Pike (14 foot). Herter’s
also sold boat trailers to accommodate 16 foot long boats or less, canvas boat covers,
oars, cleats, chocks, oarlocks, anchors, bow rollers, bow lights, spotlights, steering
wheels, throttle controllers and cables, detachable seats, carrying handles, transom
plates, outboard motor locks, anchor lines, hull bumpers - and the list goes on, right to
pennants and flags. Lastly, the company still sold watercraft blue prints, first offered in
1949 (Herter’s Inc. 1956, 30-47). In 1957, Herter’s continued to manufacture the open
hull chrome fiberglass watercraft with the translucent hulls (Hudson Bay, Quebec,
Canada, Manitoba, St. Lawrence) and expanded the choices of sporty chrome
61
fiberglass and duraluminum runabouts: Mark III, Mark IV, Mark IX, Flying Fish, and El
Dorado Rocket. The port and starboard quarter fins on the Flying Fish and El Dorado
Rocket grew larger and larger after 1956 (Knauff ND).103
Herter’s Model St. Lawrence Outboard Motor Boat
MHM documented the HSL on February 8, 15, 17, and March 1, 8 and 22, 2017 at the
MNHS warehouse. The HSL’s hull is 15.50 feet long, 64.50 inches in the beam, with a
25.00-inch depth of hold, and a wide flat bottom. Herter’s listed the length of the HSL as
16.00 feet long and 64.00 inches wide (Herter’s 1956, 26). The .50-inch beam and part
of the 6.00-inch hull length difference are attributed to the warping of the starboard side
of the hull that has affected the length and beam of the watercraft. However, the
warping does not account for more than 1.0-inch of the difference; MHM attributes the
other 5.00 inches to the habit of boat-builders to often round-up hull length
measurements. The chrome fiberglass hull was formed using the female mold method;
the fiberglass fabric was laid over the mold and covered with resin to form it to the mold
and harden the cloth. An extruded duraluminum gunwale and hollow keel help with hull
rigidity. Four angle sockets attached to the gunwale were designed to take the French
Canadian oarlocks that are attached to the 2 wooden oars associated with the boat
(Herter 1956, 34). It is unknown if the oars are original to this boat, although the
oarlocks are of Herter’s manufacture. Two longitudinal duraluminum stringers attached
to the inner hull bottom on both port and starboard are connected to each other with 5
floor-like athwartships braces. The HSL has 4 duraluminum benches with 8 seat braces
that attach them to the gunwale on both port and starboard.104 The gunwale supports
the small front seat bench, but 3 stanchions attached to the floor-like braces hold up the
3 aft-most benches. Under each bench, ‘air tank’ chambers are formed of square U-
shaped duraluminum, each filled with rectangular pieces of ‘Navy Epofoam plastic’ -
flotation foam (Herter’s 1956, 23). A stern knee105 attached to the inner hull bottom
provides rigidity and stability at the transom. The top edge of the knee is inter-locked
with a neoprene and aluminum transom plate and caprail that Herter’s claimed was
“quiet, vibration proof with all motors. Unconditionally guaranteed the quietest, most
vibration free boat in the world” (Herter’s 1956, 22). Stern castings with carrying handles
attached at the gunwale level on port and starboard provide further strength. Hollow
duraluminum splashrails are attached to the outer hull on port and starboard. The HSL
has a bow casting with a handle and an optional bow eye bolt that would serve as a
towing ring or anchor line guide.
MHM’s Kelly Nehowig and
Christopher Olson measuring
the Herter’s Model St.
Lawrence (MHM).
103 See pages 65-67 for examples of Herter’s boats.
104The Herter’s catalog labels the seat brace “American Type Made of Galvanized Rustproof Steel” (Herter’s 1956, 36).
105The Herter’s catalog labeled the stern knee a “Hand Made English Type Streamline Transom Knee” (Herter’s 1956, 36).
62
Scuffs and marks are indicators of wear on the hull over the decades. At the starboard
quarter inside the hull, rust stains indicate the location of the gas stank for the outboard
motor. On the starboard side amidships at the turn of the bilge, a 2-layered square
patch of fiberglass and resin represents a hull repair. Larger and more obvious repairs
are located on the port transom. A long rectangular unpainted fiberglass patch is
applied to the outer hull at the junction of the transom and the port side. On the port side
transom, another repair is comprised of 2 fiberglass strips sealed to the hull with white
resin or caulking, and left unpainted. The junction repair provides helpful evidence
pertaining to the working life of the HSL because it is applied under the port side
splashrail. This detail confirms that whomever conducted the maintenance on the HSL
removed the splashrail during the process and this information is significant because of
the boat’s hull color. When manufactured, Herter’s chrome fiberglass boats were
translucent, but the factory would paint the hull for an additional cost. According to DNR
records, the HSL was constructed in 1956 (John Nordby, personal communication,
63
March 6, 2017), the first year that Herter’s constructed boats. However, Herter’s offered
3 hull colors for Model St. Lawrence in 1956: jet black, marine green, and tanager red.
The HSL hull color, however, does coincide with one offered by Herter’s at least by
1969; it is called ‘dead grass’. MHM suggests the boat might have been translucent for
many years and the owners purchased a supply of dead grass paint from Herter’s and
painted it themselves. One piece of evidence supporting this theory is the uneven
application of the paint in some places on the outer hull, where it has nearly worn off.
Regardless, whoever painted the boat after it left the factory took care to remove the
metal attributes prior to painting the hull.
Repairs to the hull of the Model St. Lawrence
(MHM).
HERTER BOAT COLORS
Teal Blue Tanager Red Marine Green Gull While
Navy Blue Wine Dead Gnm $«a Gr**n
A Herter’s Boat Color Chart
(Herter’s, Inc. 1969).
Jet Black Dark Brown Live Rush
The HSL’s registration number, seen on the starboard and port bow, is MN 4042 AB;
this number was assigned to the boat in 1959 when the State of Minnesota first required
motor boat registrations. An aluminum plaque attached to the inner hull on the port side
forward says ‘MINNESOTA LICENSED BOAT PERMANENT NO. 51896 DO NOT
OVERLOAD BE SAFE STAY WITH BOAT’; the origin of this metal plate is unknown.
Other on-hull evidence recording the life of the HSL includes remnants of older
Minnesota-shaped year validation stickers near the registration number, including
orange (1977-78-79), yellow (1980-81-82), and blue (1983-84-85). The latest sticker, a
64
1988 light-colored square, confirms the DNR records: “16’ Herters 1956, made of
fiberglass, last registered 12/31/1988” (John Nordby, personal communication, April 6,
2017). Over the decades, the hull’s registration number has been applied and re-applied
to the hull as evidenced by a surviving ‘4’ decal underneath the ‘N’ on the port side and
the outlines of other numbers as well. The latest registration decals were adhered to
rectangular plexiglass pieces that are attached to the port and starboard bow with
screws. Interestingly, the port side plexiglass piece has trapped dried leaves and other
detritus underneath it; MHM contends the owners applied the plexiglass in the Spring of
1986 when the square sticker was valid, after leaving the hull outside since the autumn
of 1985. Lastly, the bow casting of the HSL has proven to be from a different model of
Herter’s boat - a Model Hudson Bay. Hudson Bay chrome fiberglass boats were 14.00
feet long, 55.00 inches in the beam, and 20.00-inch deep - much different than the
HSL. Further, the Model Quebec was 16.00 feet long like the HSL, but had a 56.00-inch
beam and was 23.00-inch deep - much less substantial than the HSL (Herter’s 1956,
24). The HSL spent over 4 decades on the waters of Lake Minnetonka in Hennepin and
Carver Counties, and East Fox Lake in Crow Wing County before its donation to the
MNHS in 1988 (MNHS 1988).
Above: The Herter’s
Model St. Lawrence’s
registration number and
identification plaque
(MHM).
Left: The bow casting
that says “Model
Hudson Bay” instead of
“Model St. Lawrence”
(MHM).
65
MHM’s 3D scans of the Herter’s Model
St. Lawrence Outboard Motor Boat.
The scanning process included several
scans saved as separate files.
Because of the vagaries in lighting, the
color version of the scanned images
appears like a patchwork (left and
below).
Examples of Herter’s, Inc. Boats
Model St. Lawrence
66
offerup.com
Model Hudson Bay
jlyforums.com
1959
smartmarineguide.com
Waseca County Historical Society
(Joan Mooney)
67
Model Quebec Model Goose-Duck
Mark V Runabout Flying Fish Standard
forums.iboats.com ronsusser.com
Duofoil World Famous Flying Fish Runabout
forgottenfiberglass.com
68
Duofoil World Famous Flying Fish Runabout
El Dorado Rocket Runabout
69
Conclusions
To more fully understand the cultural information 5 small watercraft documented during
the MSC Project provides, it is helpful to consider the boats within their historical
contexts. The Ramaley Boat Company was a prolific and long-established boat works at
the time of the FFRB’s construction. Combining the inventory and facilities of the Moore
Boat Works on Lake Minnetonka in Wayzata in 1912 strengthened Ramaley’s business
in Hennepin County. Historical records pertaining to Ramaley-built boats, particularly
photographs and surviving catalogs - along with the nautical archaeological record -
reveal the wide range of vessel types the company designed and constructed. The
diversity of boat designs offered by the company indicates their broad customer base:
fishermen, hunters, sail and motor pleasure boaters, sail and motor racers, and
houseboat enthusiasts. The FFRB, as one of the simpler forms of Ramaley vessel, is
one of the most-overlooked historic watercraft: a small wooden fishing boat. Small
wooden fishing boats of the 19th and early 20th Centuries undoubtedly out-numbered all
other types and sizes of watercraft built in Minnesota. The basic commonality of small
wooden boats, and often the lower quality of wood that comprised the hulls, has led to a
dearth of this vessel type in museum collections. However, as MHM conducts
underwater archaeological investigations in more Minnesota lakes, additional small
boats will be identified - preserved on the bottoms of our cold freshwater lakes.
Additionally, at least one larger Ramaley-built boat is an identified wreck on the bottom
of Lake Minnetonka - the Ramaley Family Motor Boat Wreck (21-HE-490) - adding to
the body of known Ramaley watercraft to still exist.
A crew of Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe boatwrights constructed the IOMB and the
craftsmanship exhibited in the hull’s components is evident. The use of the Indian
Trading Post Boat Works vessels within the business of the Post as part of the Lake
Mille Lacs economy was a form of seasonally sustainable commerce. The Depression-
era employment of Mille Lacs Band members as boatwrights, painters, and fishing
guides benefited the people locally. Further, the sale of boats beyond Lake Mille Lacs
strengthened the Ojibwe economy through increased production - and possibly led to
the survival of the IOMB. It is hoped additional products of the Indian Trading Post Boat
Works are identified, both in dry storage and on the bottom of Minnesota’s lakes.
Regardless of decades of storage in an uncontrolled environment, the IOMB is stable
and will continue to survive in its current situation.
Significant numbers of antique boat collections are aware of the long history of the
Joseph Dingle Boat Works around the country, particularly the story of the Gerry Lo.
However, few Minnesotans are aware of the Dingle Boat Works, its longevity, the
diversity of the watercraft it designed and offered for sale - and how few Dingle-built
vessels have survived. During the maritime historical research process, MHM was
impressed by the prolific nature of the company, particularly their design and production
of fast catboat and sloop racing yachts and motor ‘auto’ racing boats. From row boats to
sailboats to power racers to houseboats to subchasers to towboats, three generations
of the Dingle family produced well-designed and constructed watercraft on the banks of
the Mississippi River in St. Paul for 69 years. During the MSC Project, MHM confirmed
the survival of 7 Dingle-built vessels and until recently, 6 of them were still in Minnesota.
To date, no Dingle wrecks have been confirmed and identified on the bottom of any lake
or river in Minnesota or the United States. With these facts recognized, the continued
70
survival of the DOMB greatly enhances our shared maritime history and in its current
circumstances, this Minnesota legacy is assured.
The three known examples of the short-lived Cokato Boat Works watercraft to have
survived, out of the 40 or so small vessels the company produced, greatly enhance
Minnesota’s maritime history. The Mattson brother’s brief stint into boatbuilding
produced sturdy and good-looking wooden watercraft at a time when aluminum and
fiberglass were beginning their dominance in the post-World War II personal watercraft
market. The production of handcrafted wooden boats on a small scale was impossible
to sustain - regardless of the probable Larson Boat Company subcontract following the
1949 fire. However, the continued use of the Cokato Boat Works vessels into the 2010s
is a testament to their quality construction and design.
Contrastingly, Herter’s, Inc. produced inexpensive watercraft in a factory setting,
primarily out of fiberglass. Apparently Herter’s did not produce a set number of
watercraft per year or per season, regardless of their catalog offerings. However, the
longevity of known lightweight Herter’s chrome fiberglass boats supports the maker’s
contention that like all of their products, their watercraft were world famous, unsinkable,
corrosion-proof, and rot-proof. Herter’s, Inc. and its plethora of diverse offerings of
sporting goods was the beginning of the mail-order catalog industry as well as the ‘big
box’ nature that late 20th Century commercial endeavors would adopt. This business
practice did not help or hinder the production of watercraft since Herter’s produced
boats and canoes that could be ordered as a base model or with additional gear, at very
cheap prices.
The preservation of the wooden-hulled FFRB, IOMB, and DOMB into the 21st Century,
at ages of approximately 85-110 years old, is a tribute to the Ramaley, Trading Post,
and Dingle firms, and the significance of Minnesota boat building and design. On a
smaller scale, the COMB represents boat design and construction knowledge at a time
when that ability was being replace by technological advancements. On the other hand,
the HSL represents one of the ‘future’ conditions of boatbuilding; not in innovative
design or quality, but in the production of cheaper watercraft out of durable materials.
Further, considering the great numbers of boats produced by the long-lived firms of
Ramaley, Dingle, and Herter’s, to have 3 of 40 Cokato Boat Works and 1 of 200 Indian
Trading Post Boat Works examples survive is fortunate for our shared maritime cultural
heritage. Even more importantly, the donation of the COMB and IOMB - along with the
FFRB, DOMB, and HSL - to museums guarantees their healthy survival in perpetuity.
Further, the 3D scanning and documentation of surviving watercraft assists underwater
archaeologists in identifying wrecks of the same or similar manufacture on the bottom of
Minnesota’s lakes and rivers. In addition, the 3D scanning of complete boats and
specific components and attributes is useful for preservation, conservation, and
restoration purposes. Also, printing examples of the scanned boats in 3D miniature can
augment the archival record of each object, and even promote a museum’s collection by
offering the printed models as gift shop kits, complete with paint.
71
References
Barron County Historical Society. ND. Marine Building. https://www.barron
countymuseum.com/about1 -cl pip
Bemidji Daily Pioneer. 1909, 16 April.
Benjamin, Fred B. 1991 . Mille Lacs Indian Trading Post Oral History Project. Transcript.
Interviewed by Anthony Godfrey. Minnesota Historical Society: St. Paul, MN
Bismarck Tribune. 1922, 6 July.
Board of Park Commissioners. 1901. Tenth Annual Report of the Board of Park
Commissioners of the City of Saint Paul. Pioneer Press Company: St. Paul, MN.
. 1902. Eleventh Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of the City of
Saint Paul. Pioneer Press Company: St. Paul, MN.
. 1905. Fourteenth Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of the City
of St. Paul for the Year Ending December 31st, 1904. Review Publishing
Company: St. Paul, MN.
. 1907. Sixteenth Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of the City
of St. Paul for the Year Ending December 31, 1906. Pioneer Press
Manufacturing Departments: St. Paul, MN.
. 1908. Seventeenth Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of the
City of St. Paul for the Year Ending December 31, 1907. Review Publishing
Company: St. Paul, MN.
. 1909. Eighteenth Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of the City
of St. Paul for the Year Ending December 31, 1908. Review Publishing
Company: St. Paul, MN.
. 1 91 0. Nineteenth Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of the City
of St. Paul for the Year Ending December 31st, 1909. City of St. Paul: St. Paul,
MN.
. 1911. Twentieth Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of the City
of St. Paul for the Year Ending December 31, 1910. The Pioneer Company: St.
Paul, MN.
. 1912. Twenty-First Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of the
City of St. Paul for the Year Ending December 31, 1911. McGill-Warner
Company: St. Paul, MN,
Board of Water Commissioners. 1906. Twenty-Fourth Annual Report of the Board of
Water Commissioners of the City of St. Paul: January 1, 1906. The Pioneer
Press Manufacturing Departments: St. Paul, MN.
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